Issued February 10, 1914.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
BUREAU OF SOILS— MILTON WHITNEY, Chief.
SOIL SURVEY OF THE HOOD RIVER-
WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA,
OREGON WASHINGTON.
BY
A. T. STRAHORN and E. B. WATSON,
J.IACY H. TjAPHAM, Inspector in Charge Western Division.
[Advance Sheets— Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1912.]
UCLA SEL/Geology Collection
UAN 2 0 2005
WASHINGTON:
GOVKRNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1914.
BUREAU OF SOILS.
Milton Whitney, Chief of Bureau.
Albert G. Rice, Chief Clerk.
SOIL SURVEY.
Curtis F. Marbut. In Charge.
G. W. Baumann, Executive Assistant.
COMiMITTEE ON THE CORRELATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS.
Curtis F. Marbut, Chairman.
Hugh H. Bennett, Inspector, Southern Division.
J. E. Lapham, In.spector, Northern Division.
Macy H. Lapham, Inspector, Western Division.
J. W. McKerichbr, Secretary.
Issued February 10, 1914.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
BUREAU OF SOILS— MILTON WHITNEY, Chief.
SOIL SURVEY OF THE HOOD RIVER-
WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA,
OREGON-WASHLNGTON.
BT
A. T. STRAHORX and E. B. WATSOX.
MACY H. LAPHAM, Inspector in Charge Western Division.
[Advance Sheets — Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1912.]
WASHINGTON:
GOVEKNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1914.
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.
U. S. Department or Agriculture,
Bureau of Soils,
Washington, D. C, May 29, 1913.
Sir: One of the })rojects undertaken by the bureau during the
field season of 1912 was the survey of the Hood River- White Salmon
River area, Oregon-Washington. Tliis survey was requested by
many prominent citizens of the area.
I have the honor to transmit herewitli tlie manuscript report and
map covermg this area and to recommend their pubhcation as
advance sheets of Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils for 1912,
as provided by law.
Respectfully, Milton Whitney,
CJiiej oj Bureau.
'Hon. D. F. Houston,
Secretary oj Aijriculture .
2
CONTENTS,
Geol.
Lib.
Page.
Soil Survey of the Hood River-White Salmon River Area, Oregon-
Washington. By A. T. Strahorn and E. B. Watson 5
Description of the area 5
Climate 10
Agriculture 12
Soils 20
Underwood loam 24
Underwood stony loam 26
Rough stony land 27
Rockford stony clay loam 27
Rockford clay 29
Parkdale loam 30
Hood silt loam. . .• 32
Wind River stony loam 34
Wind River gravelly sandy loam 35
Wind River sandy loam 36
Wind River fine sandy loam 37
Wind River loam 39
Winans gravelly sandy loam 40
Winans loam 41
Columbia fine sandy loam 42
Riverwash 43
Summary 43
3
ILLUSTRATIONS,
PLATES .
Page.
Plate I. Gorge of the Hood River, south of Dee, showing forest growth on the
soils of the Underwood series 8
II. View in the Upper Hood River Valley about 2 miles west of Parkdale,
Oreg. , showing topography and forest growth on Parkdale loam . . 8
III. Strawberries on the Wind River sandy loam, about 2 miles south of
the town of Hood River 16
IV. West Fork of the Hood River at the head of the Devils Punch Bowl,
1 mile west of Winans 24
V. Young apple orchard on soils of the Wind River series. Hood River
Valley 24
FIGURE.
Fig. 1. Sketch map showing location of the Hood River- White Salmon River
area, Oregon- Washington 5
MAP.
Soil map, Hood River- White Salmon River sheet, Oregon- Washington.
4
SOIL SURVEY OF THE HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON
RIVER AREA, OREGON-WASHINGTON.
By A. T. STRAHORN and E. B. WATSON.
DESCRIPTION OF THE AEEA.
The Hood River- White Salmon River area covers about 226 square
miles, or 144,640 acres, of mountain, valley, and river-bottom land in
or adjoining the Hood River and White Salmon River Valleys, in the
States of Oregon and Washington.
The Hood River Valley is a depression of irregular outline lying in
Hood River County in the central part of Oregon. It is just west of
the principal axis of the Cascade Range, and is bordered on the east
by a low spur of that range.
Mount Hood, with an elevation of 11,226 feet above sea level, marks
the extreme upper or southern end of the valley, and its permanent
Fig. 1.— Sketch map showing location of the Hood River- 'SMiite Salmon River area, Oregon-Washington.
mantle of snow and ice contributes not only to the flow in Hood
River and its numerous tributaries, but also to that of a number of
streams lying west of the Cascades.
Hood River is a perennial stream, flowing over rocks and bowlders,
and because of its rocky, timbered gorge is considered one of the
5
6 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
most picturesque streams iii the Northwest. For about 18 miles
above its confluence with the Cokmibia it follows a single channel
carved deep in the country rock. Above this pomt several branches
flow into the river from the Cascade Range, from the northern and
eastern slopes of Mount Hood, draining a region covered with dense
virgm forest. (PL I.)
The so-called Hood River Valley is a basui, the surface of which is
a series of plateaulike flats, lying at elevations of 100 to 500 feet above
the beds of the streams and hiclosed by the steeply slopmg sides of the
adjacent mountains and hills. It is divided mto three more or less
distmct and conspicuous topographic divisions, kno\\^l as the Upper,
Middle, and Lower Valleys. The land surface of the extreme southern
part of the valley, or Upper Valley, is that of a dissected plain, having
a pronounced northward slope. It extends northward to the conflu-
ence of the drainage courses or to a prominent ridge occurring in the
central part of T. 1 N. This elevation, a short distance from Mount
Hood post office, forms the boundary between the Upper and Middle
Valleys.
The Middle Valley consists of but a few hundred acres of gently
sloping land, the drainage of which is northward through Neal Creek
Canyon into Hood River.
A somewhat precipitous mountam, east of Hood River, havmg an
elevation of about 3,000 feet and extendmg eastward from near
Bloucher and Trout Creek on the Mount Plood Railroad, with a low
ridge between it and the mountains along the eastern margin of the
area, forms the boundary between the Middle and Lower Valleys.
Along the northern slope of this ridge there is a small plateau, known
as Willow Flat, extending from Odell Creek eastward to Neal Creek.
This plateau is bounded on the north by a steep slope, which is nearly
coincident with the boundary between the Underwood loam and the
lower lymg Hood silt loam, just south of Odell. (See soil map.)
From this northern boundary of Willow Flat and the spur of mountain
near Bloucher and extendmg northward to the Columbia River lies
what is known as the Lower Valley. With the exception of the deep,
tortuous channels of the streams and a few mmor elevations, such as
Van Horn Butte and Lentz Butte, the land surface slopes quite uni-
formly to the northward, and the larger part of it is without any
marked irregularities. The elevation of this part of the valley is from
500 to 1,200 feet above sea level.
The Hood River Valley is bounded on the north by the intrenched
valley and gorge of the Columbia River. The level portion of the
vaUey is separated from this gorge by precipitous walls of basalt and
by steep rocky slopes followmg an ii-regular Ime one-half mile to a
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 7
mile from and roughly parallel to the course of the stream. Al-
though a part of these slopes is not too steep for cultivation, other
conditions are seldom favorable. Between the steep and precipitous
slopes and cliffs and the Columbia River there is a long, narrow
area of land, lying but little above the usual level of the water in the
stream. The surface of this strip is more or less gullied as a result
of annual overflows, and in the lower places marsh}- conditions exist
for a greater part of the year.
On the western side of the valley the mountains rise abruptly from
the valley floor to elevations of 4,000 feet or more above sea level.
The lower slopes are included within this survey. • From Bloucher
southward along the main channel of Hood River to the mouth of
the West Fork of that stream and along the latter fork the mountains
rise almost precipitously from the stream and vertical cliffs of colum-
nar basalt are frequently exposed.
The low range of mountains which forms the eastern boundary of
the Hood River Valley represents a spur of the Cascade Range, branch-
ing out near the base of Mount Hood and terminating in rocky bluffs or
to nearly vertical cliffs along the Columbia River. The western slopes
of this range, some of which are included within the survey, are
mainly too steep for cultivation, are generally rocky, and are less
heavily timbered than the mountains on the western side of the area.
That portion of the area including the White Salmon River Valley
in the State of Washington lies directly across the Columbia River
from the Hood River Valley in Oregon. A few square miles in the
southwestern part of this section of the area lies in Skamania Coimty
and the remainder is in Klickitat County. The term Wliite Salmon
Valley, as generally used, refers to the drainage basin of the WTiite
Salmon River. There is but little land included within the present
valley of the White Salmon River in tliis portion of the area, and this
consists of a narrow, irregular strip on each side of the river. The
balance of tliis portion of the area consists of rolling or undulating
land, intrenched by the present stream valley and surrounded by
hills and mountains with moderate to steep slopes.
At the extreme northern end of the valley is Mount Adams, with
an elevation of 12,470 feet above sea level, whose upper slopes
are covered with perpetual snow and glaciers. The \Vhite Salmon
River receives the drainage from its southern and southwestern
slopes, and following a southerly course enters the Columbia River
at a point nearly opposite the mou<h of the Hood River. The
gradual melting of the snow and ice affords a never-failing supply
of water in the White Salmon River.
From the mouth of the White Salmon River northward for about
3 miles the channel is confined to a narrow, rocky gorge ^^'ith precipi-
8 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
tous to vertical walls of basalt. Above that point nearly to the
northern boundary of T. 4 N., R. 10 E., the river has a shallow,
rocky bed, and the adjacent land is the sloping and rolling floor
of a shghtly elevated, eroded valley. Above the southern part of
section 12 of this townsliip the stream is again confined in a nar-
row canyon, the walls of which are commonly vertical and from
20 to 75 feet in height.
No streams of any importance enter the river from the west, as
the crest of the watershed between the White Salmon and Little
White Salmon Rivers is but a few miles distant and there is not
enough surface drainage to form large or permanent streams. In
the eastern part of the valley there are two streams tributary to the
White Salmon — Rattlesnake and Gilmer Creeks, which are of con-
siderable size, and drain extensive areas of mountain and hill land
along their courses.
With the exception of a single narrow body of alluvial soil just south
of Bingen, the Columbia River, on the Washington side, is bordered
either by a steep, rocky slope, or by vertical walls of columnar basalt,
which in many places rise directly from the margin of the stream.
On the slopes above these cliffs north of Underwood and Hood, sit-
uated at the foot of the cliffs in the Columbia River gorge, and near
the town of White Salmon upon the bluff, there are areas of relatively
level bench or terrace lands, and these, together with the gentle
undulations and slopes and level areas of lower lands along the
Wliite Salmon River, form practically all of the area that can be
called reasonably level. The remaining part of the area in Washing-
ton is made up of the mountain and hill slopes, with varying declivi-
ties, not uncommonly too steep for cultivation, and often traversed
by deep ravines. On the crests of the ridges, where dissection has
not reached an advanced stage, there are small, irregular sections of
land where the slopes are not pronounced, but such areas are seldom
of great extent and are of little importance agriculturally.
The crests of the mountains, the lower slopes, and the larger part
of the floors of both valleys were originally covered with a dense
growth of pine and fir. (Pis. I and II.) Along the stream bottoms
the native vegetation is so dense as to approach the character of a
jungle, Cottonwood and willow being the principal trees, with an
impenetrable undergrowth of vines and brush.
Prior to the advent of white settlers this portion of the Northwest
was inhabited only by scattering tribes of Indians, who subsisted
u])on the roots, bulbs, and seeds of a variety of native plants and upon
fish caught in the Columbia River and tributary streams. More or
less opposition was offered by the Indians to the immigration of the
whites, but ('xce))ting on two or three occasions, when their attacks
were unusually severe and led to organized campaigns against them,
Report of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 191 2.
Plate I.
Report of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1912.
Plate II.
H z
HOOD KIVER-WHITE SALMON KIVER AREA. 9
their resistance was confined largely to the harassing of lonely set-
tlers and prospectors in the more distant parts of the mountains.
Agents of the Hudson Bay Co. explored the Northwest early in the
nineteenth century, but it was mainly through the expeditions of
Smith (1828), Lewis and Clark (1804-5), the Hunt (Astor) party
(1810-12), and Fremont (1843-44) that definite knowledge of this
part of the country was obtained. Settlement began in this area
late in the sixties, when a small village sprung up at the mouth of the
Hood River and became a stopping place for travelers on their way
to the coast. Wlien the Columbia was used for water transportation
this town became one of the regular stopping places for the steamers.
With the building of the railroad along the south bank of the Columbia
River, rai)id transportation became available, and the agricultural
development of the valley, which had been slow and irregular, pro-
gressed rapidly, the type of agriculture changing from the production
of hay and the grazing of cattle to the production of fruit.
On the Washington side of the river settlement has been much
slower. Water transportation has been available for many years,
but the desire of the larger number of people to be near the railroad
has retarded the development of that section. In 1908 the Spokane,
Portland & Seattle Railway was constructed along the north bank
of the Columbia River, and railway connection with the commercial
centers of the Northwest is now available for that jjart of the area.
The town of Hood River is the county seat of Hood River County,
and the principal business center of this part of the State. This town
has a population of 2,331, according to the census of 1910. Most of
the fruit-packing houses of the valley are located at Hood River, since
practically all of the fruit is shippetl by railroad from this point.
Hydroelectric plants furnish electricity for lighting and power pur-
poses, and the domestic water supply of the city is derived from a
number of springs in the Cascade Range. The main line of the Ore-
gon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co. connects the town with
the eastern and western business centers, and a local line, the Mount
Hood Railroad, owned by a lumber company, traverses the Hood
River Valley, connecting Hood River with the town of Parkdale,
a small settlement in the upper valley. Van Horn, Lentz, Odell,
Summit, Bloucher, Winans, Dee, Trout Creek, and Woodworth are
intermediate stations along this line. Oak Grove, Fir, and Mount
Hood are crossroad stores. Ruthton, a station in the western part
of the area on the Oregon- Washington Railroad & Navigation Co.'s
line, is the site of an important lumber mill, which receives the lumber
from the nearby mountains.
The towTi of White Salmon, ^vdth a population of 682, is the
principal commercial center of the White Salmon River Valley
section of the survey. This town is located on a sloping bench sev-
96828°— 14 2
10 FIELD OPEBATIONS OF THE BUEEAU OF SOILS, 1912.
eral hundred foot above the (\ihimbia River and about a mile by
wagon road from the raikoad station of the same name. From the
to-wTi of White Salmon wagon roads lead to ail parts of the valley and
connect with distant agricultural sections m adjoining valleys. Hood,
Underwood, and Bmgen are small stations along the line of the
Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway, locally known as the North
Bank Railroad, and afford passenger and freight facilities for adja-
cent sections of the valley. Husum and Gilmer are post ofhces m the
central and northern parts of the valley, on the main traveled roads.
The mam roads throughout the valley are excellent, and it is only
during unusually severe whiter weather that travel is obstructed
even on the second-class roads.
CLIMATE.
The climate of tliis part of Oregon and Washhigton is characterized
by moderate winters, long, cool summers, a moderately abundant
rainfall, and comparative freedom from damagmg spring frosts.
The precipitation is much less than that upon the western slope of
the Cascade Mountains. There is a rain}' and dry season. The
former may be regarded as extendhig from late October to about the
first of May. Showers occur at mtervals throughout the summer
months, but they are sUght and seldom of much importance as a source
of moisture supply, and from the middle of June to late in October
the occurrence of rain in amounts sufficient to interfere with farming
operations is very unusual. Rams are seldom accompanied by
lightnmg, hail, or violent winds, and a large part of the precipitation
takes place in the form of a fine mistlike rain.
Snow falls during January, Februar}^, and March. It appears first
on the peaks and higher ridges of the surroundmg mountains, and, as
the season advances, slowly descends and spreads over the floor of
the valleys. The depth varies considerably from 3'ear to year, the
fall sometimes being heavy enough to cause serious injury to young
fruit trees.
All of the rains and the larger part of the snows drift in from the
west, coming up the gorge of the Columbia River. Owmg to the
irregular topography of the two valleys included within the area sur-
veyed, there is commonly a wide variation in the amount of precipi-
tation in various sections, and this is apparently not governed
entirely by the altitude of the sections, but by the movement of the
^^dnds as affected by the arrangement of the mountain ridges. This
condition is particularly noticeable at either the close or opening of
the rainy season, when parts of these valleys receive heavy rains and
other parts at no great distance may receive none.
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA.
11
Statistics of the weather conditions in these vallej's given in the
table below are compiled from the records of volunteer Weather
Bureau observers in the vicmity of Hood River.
Statistics of climate compiled from records kept at Hood River, Oreg.
Temperature.
Precipitation.
state of weather.
•2
02
o
O
Killing frost.
Year.
<^ .
at
<
1
5
1
3
as
•? a
Si
ii-
11
a)
O
— >>
§
.a
la
2"
si
1899
° F.
49.2
51.3
49.9
50.0
52.6
51.6
53.0
51.1
48.6
.50.4
49. 5
0 p^
98
98
103
98
99
102
95
106
103
101
101
101
106
"> F.
- 6
Inches.
44.18
Inches.
7.72
Inch .
T.
Days.
Days.
Days.
Days.
142
Inches.
79
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
w.
1900
Apr. 27
Apr. 24
Apr. 13
Apr. 19
Apr. 23
Apr. U
Apr. 12
Apr. 30
Apr. 28
May 9
Apr. 15
May 11
Sept. 2
Nov. 2
Sept. 29
Oct. 15
Oct. 20
Oct. 19
Oct. 20
Nov. 3
Aug. 31
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
14
- 3
13
19
2
14
- 5
36.88
41.99
30. 22
35.23
25.02
35.71
33.43
7.81
10.56
8.94
8.96
4.81
10.54
8.60
4.47
11.75
7.70
4.20
T.
0.01
.07
.13
.05
.00
.10
.05
T.
.00
.00
146
1.33
143
129
147
134
170
127
108
119
124
114
95
65
92
124
94
110
104
136
130
119
142
106
130
120
122
111
47.5
64.6
34.6
62.1
43
34
78
1909
1910
1911
-IS
1
10
28.48
21.47
18.61
173
198
210
64
42
35
126
125
120
74
71
55
99.1
27
36
Oct. 15
Oct. 25
Oct. 27
The figures given in the following table are compiled from Weather
Bureau records covering a number of years and show the average
monthly temperature and precipitation at Hood River:
Normal monthly and annual temperature and precipitation, Hood River, Oreg.
Month.
January.
February
March . . .
April
May
June
July
Temper-
ature.
'F.
33.9
36.2
42.4
50.0
56.3
60.9
67.2
Precipi-
tation.
Inches.
6.39
4.92
3.68
2ei3
1.25
1.02
.18
Month.
August
September
October...
November.
December .
Year
Temper-
ature.
'F.
66.7
59.3
51.6
42.2
35.9
50. 2
Precipi-
tation.
Incites.
.24
1.53
2.61
5.66
7.42
37.03
Winter temperatures are not ordinarily severe and, although the
night temperature is usually below 32° F., it seldom falls below zero.
The summer season is marked by relatively cool days and nights.
The thermometer may rise above 90, possibly to 100° F., but such
extremes seldom persist for more than a few days, and are succeeded
by periods of cooler weather when the maximum daily temperature
will rarely go above 80° F.
The usual spring conditions are such that there is but little danger
of injury to the apple crop from late spring frosts, as a number of
consecutive days with temperatures high enough to start the tree
12 FIELD OPEKATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912,
growth seldom occur before the usual date of the last killmg frost.
Certam other fruits, such as peaches and grapes, may be forced into
bloom by a few warm days early in the spring, and these may suffer
severely with a subsequent lowering of temperatures. The dates of
killing frosts in the spring are extremely variable in different portions
of the valley, owdng to differences in elevation and the conditions of
air drainage. For tliis reason the data given in the table are applica-
ble only to a small part of the valley immediately adjoining the upper
part of the town of Hood River.
The prevailing winds are from the west, as the gorge of the Colum-
bia River plays the part of a gigantic flue and affords a passage for
the wind from the cool coast country^ eastward toward the heated
interior. The velocity of the wind is least during the winter season,
when the temperatures on the coast and in the interior are more
nearly equal, and greatest in the spring and enrlj summer, when the
temperature in the plains section east of the mountams is much
higher than that along the coast. The usual drift of the wind from the
coast toward the interior is the prmcipal factor in maintaining the
low temperature of the summer season and in preventing excessively
low temperatures during the -winter. It is onl}" when the normal
conditions are disturbed that there is any noticeable movement of
air from the interior toward the coast, and whenever this occurs the
extremes of temperature for the season follow. In the summer
season the winds from the heated plains to the east cause the ther-
mometer to rise above 90°, and this heat will persist for one to three
or four days. With the Avinds from the interior during the winter
season the tem])erature drops, but in a few days the \\TJid swings
into the west and the severe temperature is replaced by a noticeably
warmer period.
The average climatic conditions which exist in these valleys are
such that the production of berries, deciduous fruits, and forage
crops that are adapted to a cool, temperate climate will be profit-
able, providing, of course, that suitable locations are chosen.
AGRICULTURE.
The first settlers in these valleys occupied the comparatively level,
elevated floors of the valleys and also the narrow bodies of alluvial
soil along the Columbia River. The absence of accessible markets
limited the activities chiefly to stock raising. In the districts men-
tioned grain could be growm for hay, and the stock were ranged over
the adjacent lands of the valley and on the mountain and hill slopes,
where, when the forest was not too thick, a good growth of grass
afforded grazing during the greater part of the year.
A few trails and wagon roads led from the settlements to distant
points in the valleys, but access to outside markets was available only
by steamers on the Columbia River. The town of Hood River and
HOOD RIVEB-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 13
the old town of Wliite Salmon originated as small settlements near
the steamer landings where freight was received and shipped, and
became the social and commercial centers of these two valleys. For
years there was scarcely any increase in the size of these villages, and
but little increase in the rural population, and when the railroad was
constructed down the south bank of the Columbia River, Hood River
was a %dllage with a population of less than 300,
In the Hood River Valley the first attempts at producing what
might be called a cash crop were made in the early eighties, when
strawbeiTies were grown on the west side of the valley and irrigated
by a canal constructed by the farmers. This was practically the only
agricultural product sliipped from the valley for many years, and the
early growers, realizing the need for cooperation and systematic mar-
keting, organized what was known as the Fruit Growers' Union, and,
although the crops of the valley have increased and varied in charac-
ter from time to time, some form of sliipping association has existed
from that time to the present. Different kinds of deciduous fruits
were planted by the early settlers for home use, but it was not until
late in the eighties that commercial orchards were established.
About this time one orchard was set out on the west side of the valley
and two on the east side, though many at that time doubted the feasi-
bility of growmg fruits on an extensive scale.
In the White Salmon Valley, the earUest settlement was well up
the White Salmon River, toward Trout Lake, where stock raising
was made the principal industry. Owing to the elevation, the grow-
ing of grasses and alfalfa to be fed to stock and dairy cattle is still the
leading type of agriculture.
Besides the isolation of these valleys, which was one of the principal
features in retardmg their development, the fact that practically the
entire area of cultivable land was covered with a dense forest hindered
progress. The early farmuig was confined to areas where there was
little or no timber. The earliest clearings were around the site of the
settlers' cabins. As there was no special need for the cultivation of
large fields, the clearing of these small tracts was the only work done
for many years toward removing the forest. As the population
increased and markets became available, the timber was rapidly
removed from the more level lands in both valleys, until, m the Hood
River VaUey at least, the area of forested land in the valley flat is at
present very small. As the demand for land increased, the high
prices asked for the valley land forced newcomers to the slopes of the
mountains and mto the upper Hood River Valley, and the clearing
of these lands is still in progress.
In the Wliite Salmon River Valley, owing to the lack of adequate
transportation, the settlement and development has proceeded very
slowly. From the first settlement, in the vicinity of Trout Lake, the
14 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
development has extended southward along the White Salmon River,
where the lands, although heavily timbered, were fairly moist and
could be made to produce heavy yields of the common forage crops.
As fruit growing increased in the Hood River Valley and proved to
be highly profitable, residents and newcomers in the White Salmon
River Valley followed the example of their neighbors across the river,
and this led to the clearing of areas on the timbered slopes and the
crests of the lower ridges.
Aside from the change from stock raising to the growing of fruits,
there has been no great variation in the type of agriculture in these
sections. The different fruits have, as a rule, given regular j-ields,
and, as a result, the principal development of agriculture in these
valleys has been toward the production of fruit. So pronounced has
been this tendency that at present much of the farm produce used in
these valleys is shipped into the area.
With minor exceptions no attention has been paid to the adapta-
tion of crops to the various types of soil, and only when the conditions
were absolutely prohibitive of tree growth has there been any hesi-
tation about the planting of some variety of deciduous fruit. Under
such a system crop rotation is absolutely out of the question, except-
ing such changes as may be made from time to time in the crops
grown between the rows of fruit trees.
The labor problem is a matter of concern to the growers only
during the picking season, as the plantmg, cultivating, and spraying
calls for but few men and the demand is easily met by the usual
itinerant workers. In occasional years, when the climatic conditions
are such that strawberries ripen suddenly, it is sometimes difficult
to secure pickers to save the crop, but in the fall the apple-picking
season lasts thi-ough several weeks and the supply of help is usually
ample.
The wage of an ordinary farm hand, m this section, is from $35
to $40 a month and board, or $50 a month without board. Berry
pickers are paid by the box, and a day's pay will run from $2 to $4,
depending upon the efforts of the laborer. During the apple-
picking season the pickers receive $2.50 a day and board.
Land holdings in this area vary from tracts of 5 acres to several
hundred acres, the latter commonly being held by individuals or
companies engaged in the development of large orchard tracts.
In the developed sections of the valley 40 acres constitute a large
farm, and the greater number of the orchards are in 10 to 40 acre
tracts. In the undeveloped portions of the area a greater number
of the holdings were origmally quarter section homesteads, and a
large proportion of the original entrymen have disposed of theii'
holdings either to lumbermen or to real estate operators and develop-
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 15
ment companies, and there are now a number of such, holdings
which are 1,000 acres or more in extent.
Experience in this and in other sections has fully demonstrated
that the best and most satisfactory results are obtained from small
orchards operated by the owners, and the tendency here is to reduce
the holdings to tracts not exceeding 20 or 40 acres in extent, and the
preference is for the smaller size.
Unimproved land is, generally speaking, held at a rather excessive
figure. It may occasionally happen that unimproved land, always
in this area covered with forest or brush, may be sold at $100 an
acre, but the land is usually held for $150 to $300 an acre, and in
some cases the latter figure has been obtained for favorably located
tracts. When everything is considered — expense of clearing, cost of
the trees and of planting, pruning, and spraying until the trees come
into bearing, taxes, and interest on the investment — the cost of a
bearing apple orchard would be almost too great to justify the price
asked for this land.
Throughout these valleys the general appearance of the farm-
houses and outbuildings and the neatness of the surroundings is
a matter of favorable comment by all who visit the developed
sections. It is the exception to find an unpainted or poorly kept
house in the orchard section, and a considerable number of the
houses are large and modern in every respect. Here and there,
particularly in the outlying sections where the original homesteads
still remain, log houses and indifferently kept frame houses may be
found, but these are rapidly being displaced by modern structures.
At present the agricultural output of these two valleys is prac-
tically limited to apples and strawberries. A few head of stock
are occasionally shipped to Portland, and there is a small and un-
important shipment of pears, peaches, and plums. In driving
through the Hood River Valley one passes mUe after mile of orchards
in all stages of development, with here and there small acreages of
strawberries, planted either separately or in rows between the smaller
fruit trees. In the outlying sections, which include the mountain
slopes and portions of the upper valley, there are large areas of
forested and logged-off land, but these are rapidly being cleared
and givmg place to young orchards. In the White Salmon River
Valley the extent of the orchard planting is much smaller than in
the Hood River Valley, but this is largely due to the retarded develop-
ment of this section, caused by the longer deferred building of rail-
roads. The lands that were first cleared and devoted to the pro-
duction of grain and hay are being rapidly planted to orchards.
This development is being carried on in all parts of the area, and
eventually all lands not too steep to permit cultivation, or with soil
16 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
SO shallow as not to be adapted to tilled crops, wall doubtless be
put in orchards.
In order to give an idea of the extent of orchard area and the
relative acreage of the different crops in the Hood River Valley, and
to determine, if possible, the relation between the plantings and the
type of the soil, a plat was made of all of the plantings in that valley.
The acreage devoted to the various crops was determined, but the
plat showed that there is, as has already been mentioned, scarcely
any relation between the plantings and the soil types as recognized
in tlie survey. 0^\ang to the less extensive development in the White
Salmon River Valley, no attempt was made to determine the crop
acreage in that section.
The following figures have been taken from the plat and are appli-
cable only to that part of the Hood River Valley covered by the present
survey.
Acreage devoted to the several crops produced in Hood River Valley.
Acres.
Forest, logged-off , and slashed land 52, 250
Cleared and fallow land 610
Apple trees 16, 425
Strawberries 766
Forage crops of all kinds 2, 186
The acreage of forage crops includes only those areas where the land
was entkely given over to these crops. The larger part of the orchard
acreage is sown to some variety of cover crop each fall, which is com-
monly used for the feeding of farm stock, and as the larger part is
plowed under in the spring, it was impracticable to determhie the
acreage.
The production of strawberries is practically confined to one variety,
the Clark Seedling. The single-row system of planting is followed
almost exclusively, and the plants are commonly allowed to bear for
three years before being removed. In setting the plants the rows are
generally made to follow the contour of the land, and irrigation is
thus facilitated. (PL III.) Most of the strawberries are grown
between the rows of fruit trees, and the revenue from the sale of
berries is a material aid in meeting the running expenses of the orchard.
The yields vary wdth the care and attention given the vines and wdth
the seasonal conditions. The yields range from 100 to 300 crates per
acre. The selling price of the berries is governed by the competition
they meet in distant markets, by their quality and size, and by the
dates at wliich they are marketed. The price is usually liighest at the
opening of the season and gradually declines toward the close.
The larger acreage of berries is on the west side of the Hood River
Valley, largely because the yields are. better on the soils in that section,
while in the White Salmon River Valley the cultivation of this fruit
Report of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 191 2.
Plate III.
HOOD EIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 17
is confined almost exclusively to the Underwood loam. In the former
valley irrigation is practiced wherever berries are produced, as this
assures a heavier yield and a longer beaiing period. In the White
Salmon River Valley water is seldom available for irrigation, and the
yields, consequently, average less than those on the opposite side of the
river.
In the Hood River Valley the acreage devoted to berries shows a
slight decrease from year to year. Most of the plantings are made
between the young fruit trees, and as these come into bearing the
growing of other crops is discontinued and the soil is given clean
cultivation. Eventually the growing of strawberries may decline to a
point where it will be of little importance, but in Adew of the fact that
new blocks of trees will be planted for some years to come there is no
immediate danger of this. Moreover, there are some soils in the
valley that are particularly adapted to this fruit, and a certain pro-
portion of these soils will doubtless be devoted to tliis crop for many
years. As development progresses in the White Salmon River Valley
the acreage of strawberries will continue to increase and the growdng
of this fruit will be one of the important industries of this part of
the area.
Prior to the development of the commercial aj)ple orchards in either
of these valleys apples had been grown in a large number of small
family orchards for several years, and the growth and productiveness
of these trees gave some idea of what might be expected from com-
mercial planting in suitable locations.
In the early days of tree planting it was observed that the trees oh
the west side of the Hood River Valley were not as thrifty as those
grown on the east side, and, for some reason, it was supposed that
apples could not be profitably grown under irrigation. As a conse-
quence the development of the commercial orchards began on the
Hood silt loam, east of the Hood River, and for many years no serious
attempts were made to extend the orchard planting west of the river.
Later a number of small orchards were planted on the west side of the
valley, in spite of j)redictions of failure, and although there was noth-
ing to guide the planters in handling trees on these soils, their efforts
were successful, and the j^lantings increased raj^idly, until at present
the larger part of the valley lands west of the Hood River is devoted
to the production of apples under imgation. The returns from bear-
ing orchards gave an impetus to land values, and in the last few years
the high prices asked for the lands in the lower valley have forced the
development of the upper, or southern, part of the valley and the
extension of the jjlanted areas over the slopes of the mountains sur-
rounding the lower lands. In the White Salmon River Valley the
earhest orchard development was on the Hood silt loam, where there
96828°— 14 ^3
18 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
had been considerable farming for a number of years. From this section
of the valley the planting of trees has been carried to the more level
slopes of the Underwood loam, and it is in these sections that the
most extensive development is now being carried. The setting out of
commercial orchards began less than 10 years ago, and at the present
time not more than 5 per cent of the trees are in bearing.
In planting, the trees are set in the square, triangular, or hexagonal
systems. Following the square system they are commonly set 26
feet apart. Budded one or two year old stock is invariably used,
and the trees are secured either from local nurserymen or from firms
or individuals conducting nurseries in the Northwest. Pruning is
done each year at any time after the wood is completely dormant,
and during the first years of the tree's growth the cuttmg is such that
the tree is held within narrow bounds, in order to facilitate future cul-
tural and picking operations and to build up a sturdy frame that will
carry a heavy load of fruit with minimum damage to the branches.
Summer pruning is seldom practiced.
In the past there has been a great diversity in the methods of
handling the orchards, but although a considerable variation still
exists, the growers are generally beginning to use similar methods
which experience has shown to be well adapted to the soil and climatic
conditions of the region, and to the varieties of fruit most largely
grown. With many of the growers the spring treatment of the
orchards formerly was to run over the ground with a disk harrow,
and to follow this with a harrow or drag. While a few still use this
method, the larger number now give the orchard a thorough spring
plowing and follow this with successive harrowings until the surface
mulch is fine, loose, and deep. In a veiy large number of the younger
orchards, and in some of the older ones, some crop is grown between
the rows of the trees during some part of the year. Crops are seldom
grown in the older orchards, but it is the common practice to grow a
gram or forage crop during the whiter. In nearly all cases this is
turned under in the spring plowing. In the younger orchards the
same practice is frequently followed, but in addition some forage or
tilled crop is grown between the trees durmg the summer season. In
the first case the crop is plowed under in the spring, and in the second
the returns from the crops go toward meeting the expense of running
the orchards. When done judiciously the growing of these crops
does not impair the growth of the trees. The danger lies in the temp-
tation to grow these crops after the time when the entire area of the
orchard should be used solely for the benefit of the trees.
Considerable differences of opinion have existed in the past regard-
ing the use of winter cover crops. Although various ideas concerning
the best crop for this purpose and the methods of planting and handling
it, and although there is stiU much to be learned along these lines, it is
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 19
generally conceded that the soils are m need of a greater amount of
organic matter, which is most economically supplied by plowing under
green crops, and a constantly increasing acreage of orchard land is
being seeded down each fall. Oats, wheat, rye, and vetch, sown alone
or in various combinations, are commonly used.
Spraying is practiced at various times of the year to combat the
pests common to the various fruits. The control of all tree pests and
diseases is demanded by the State law, which is enforced by a resident
officer, and the fruit in this valley is being grown with as little infesta-
tion as in any section of the northwest.
The principal varieties of apples grown are the Spitzenburg, New-
town Pippin, Jonathan, Ortley, Arkansas Black, Gravenstein, and
Red Cheek Pippin. A careful canvas of the varieties of apples
showed that there were 86 varieties of trees in the valley that were
producmg fruit. About a dozen of these are important, and the
remainder are simply remnants from the early plantings when there
was no knowledge of the varieties best adapted to these valleys. A
number of years of profitable orcharding has shown the growers what
varieties may be expected to give the best returns, and as time goes
on there will be a steady removal of undesirable trees.
Alfalfa, clover, timothy, and native grasses are practically the only
crops grown for hay in the Hood River Valley. With the exception
of an area of rather moist soil in the vicinity of Odell, where there are
100 or more acres in native grasses, the above forage crops are nearly
always grown in tracts of 10 acres or less in the vicinity of the numer-
ous farmhouses. These crops seldom produce more than sufficient
hay to meet the needs of the individual growers, and a large part of
the forage used in the Hood River Valley is shipped in from outside
points.
Irrigation is more or less commonly practiced in the Hood River
Valley, particularly over the soils on the floor of the valley, but in the
White Salmon River Valley the only irrigation is on the Wind River fine
sandy loam, as the topography of the other soils is so mieven as to make
the construction of canals and distribution of water exceedingly
difficult and expensive. In the Hood River VaUey strawberries are
always hrigated, and a larger part of area in intertilled crops receives
one or more applications during the growing season. Apples are not
commonly irrigated during the ffi-st few years of their growth, but
with the exception of some of the older orchards on the Hood silt
loam practically all of the bearing trees are hrigated at regular inter-
vals. The water for irrigation is obtained from both the east and
west forks of Hood River. The water from this stream is of excellent
quality and is more than sufficient for the needs of the valley.
20 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
SOILS.
The most important rock formation in this part of the Northwest
is known as the Columbia lava, a vast sheet covering neariy 250,000
square miles and varying in thickness from 300 or 400 to over 4,000
feet. This mass of rock was not formed by a single flow or volcanic
eruption, but by a series of disturbances, often with a considerable
period of time intervening, and the line of separation between the
flows is commonly marked either by a change in the structure of
the rock or by intervening strata of sands, clays, or gravel. The
larger part of these lavas cooled slowly, and wherever vertical sec-
tions of the rock are ^dsible a columnar structure nearly always
exists. Thi'oughout the gorge of the Columbia River, in this area
and to the westward, and along the courses of the Hood and Wliite
Salmon Rivers the vertical walls are often 500 feet or more in height.
These bold columnar cliffs form a prominent feature of much of the
wUd, rugged scenery along these streams. (PL IV.)
The broad features of the Hood River Valley are structural. It
occupies a shallow downward fold or syncline of the basalt beds.
Since its formation, however, it has been modified in detail by
erosion, both by rumiing water and by glaciers. The work of the
latter, however, has been mainly deposition, while the former has
done very little beyond the cutting of the narrow valley in which
the river flows. Later a considerable part of the glacial deposits
were apparently removed, either by streams from the retreating glacier
or by others, the forerunnei-s of the present rivers. In some instances
the lava was swejjt clean of its stony mantle and veneered with a
deposit of finer sedimentary material, but commonly sections along
the gorges of the streams show remnants of the glacial deposits
lying between the rock and the later surface soil. Some of the
present soil material was probably deposited as glacial outwash,
being made up of fine glacial material transported to its present
location by streams from the melting ice.
In the White Salmon River Valley it seems doubtful whether glacial
ice occupied any considerable part of the depression. So far as has
been determined, tlic present surface of the valley may be solely
the result of erosion and deposition by streams, some of which may
have been of glacial origin.
In addition to the effects of glacial and alluvial agencies, the
lavas have been subject to the slow but certain action of weathering
and the decomposition of this rock, where not obscured by deposits
resulting from other agencies, has resulted in a mantle of residual
soils which cover the crests and slopes of the hills and mountains
in the area.
The latest development in the formation of the soils has been
the deposition of recent alluvial soil in irregular, narrow areas along
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 21
the stream courses. In the White Salmon River Valley there is
but little alluvial soil of recent formation, but along the Columbia
and Hood Rivers and the tributaries of the latter recent water-laid
soils occur in more or less extensive bodies. Overflow along the
Hood River and its tributaries is rare and the soil conditions are
stable and well defined, but a large part of the recent soils along the
Columbia River are overflowed annually and consequently are sub-
ject to more or less alteration from year to year.
The soUs of the area surveyed thus fall into a number of more or
less distinct groups, according to their topographic position and
mode of formation. Each group is represented by one or more
soil series and each soil series consists of a number of soil types.
The latter, within each series, are similar in general characteristics
of color, character of subsoil or other underlying material, topog-
raphy, origin, and mode of formation, but differ in texture as deter-
mined by the relative proportions of the different grades of soil
material. A complete series consists of a number of associated and
closely related soil types ranging in texture from coarse in the
sandy members to fine in the silty and clay types. Some of the
soU series recognized in this area, however, are represented by but
a single soil type.
The soil type is the unit of classification and each type encountered
is indicated in color on the soil map accompanying this report.
The residual soils of the area, derived by weathering in place of
the underlying rock, are represented by three types — the loam and
stony loam members of the Underwood series and Rough stony land.
The Underwood soils occur on all of the hill and mountain slopes in
the area, and are by far the most extensively distributed soils in the
area. The surface soil of the loam type carries noticeable quantities
of small, reddish-brown pellets, formed by the cementing of the soil
particles by iron salts or by spherical weathering of fragments of
basaltic rock. These are locally known as red shot. The stony
loam contains large quantities of angular rock fragments in both the
soil and subsoil. The color of these soils is commonly a light brown
or light reddish brown, with occasional areas of grayish brown, par-
ticularly in the bodies adjacent to the White Salmon River Valley.
The larger part of the area occupied by these soils supports a heavy
growth of fir and pine, but in sections of restricted rainfall and of
steep slope and where the drainage is excessive or the soil somewhat
shallow these trees give way to scanty growths of oak, brush, and
grass. Rough stony land, a nonagricultural type, includes areas in
which the quantity of fragmental rock in the soil or of rock outcrop
is too great to allow cultivation. The soU is generally thin, the
topography is quite steep, much of it precipitous, and the forest
growth is usually a scattering stand of pine.
22 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
The soils of the area which are recognized as derived wholly or
in part from ice-laid material are those of the Rockford and the
Parkdale series. The Rockford series is represented by two types,
viz, the Rockford stony clay loam and the Rockford clay. The
former includes an eroded phase. The typical soil occurs only
in the Hood River Valley, though a small body of the eroded
])hase borders the Columbia River on the Washington side. The
type occupies gently undulating or sloping areas slightly elevated
above the adjacent soils of the valley floor and carries an abun-
dance of glacial bowlders. The Rockford clay covers only an
inextensive area on the western side of the Hood River Valley
between the Rockford stony clay loam and the higher lying residual
soils of the Underwood series occupying the mountain slopes. Some
undifferentiated colluvial and alluvial foot-slope material from the
higher mountam soils is included with this type. Rock or gravel is
not abundant in the soil, but glacial bowlders occur in small quantities,
and are commonly visible along the courses of the minor stream ways.
The soils of the Rockford series are of reddish-brown color and are
underlain by reddish-brown to yellowish subsoils, overlying deep,
compact deposits of glacial till.
The Parkdale series is represented by a single type, the Parkdale
loam. This occurs only in the southern part of the area as a dissected
plain with a very noticeable slope to the south. The deeper subsoil
and substratum is a rocky glacial till, but this is covered by a mantle
of finer material. The area occupied by this t}^e resembles in
topographic features a glacial outwash plain, and the finer supei'ficial
soil material may consist predominantly of stream-laid glacial
outwash material of fine sandy and silty texture or of thoroughly
weathered material derived from the underlying drift. Streams
traversing the plain have cut narrow, rocky gorges into this material
and often deeper into the underlying bedrock. The soil is of brown
or light-brown color, often with a reddish tint, and usually contains
a noticeable quantity of fine pellets. The subsoil is a light-brown to
mottled gray and brown silt loam in which the percentage of pellets
is generally less than in the soil material.
Of the water-laid sedimentary soils of the area, the most extensive
and important is the Hood silt loam, winch, like the Parkdale loam,
is the only representative of its series recognized in the survey. The
origin of this type is not definitely known, but from the depth,
uniformity, and fineness of the material it appears to be a deposit
laid down in bodies of quiet water, and has probably been derived
from fuie glacial material. This type is one of the most important
soils in the area, and upon it are found the larger number of the
productive orchards in these two valleys. This soil is light gray or
HOOD EIVEK-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 23
light grayish brown in color and entirely free from either rock or
gravel.
The stream-laid or alluvial soils of the area are represented by the
Wind River, Columbia, and Winans series, and by a nonagricultural
type mapped as Riverwash.
The soils and subsoils of the Wind River series are light brown or
light reddish brown. The series occupies Jiigh terraces, sometimes
several hundred feet above the present valley bottoms, and is
underlain by a stratum of gravels or of basaltic rock, although this
is not generally encountered within the depth of 6 feet. Of tliis
series the stony loam, gravelly sandy loam, sandy loam, loam, and
fine sandy loam members have been recognized. These soils are of
considerable importance, and occur in both the Hood River and
"WTiite Salmon River Valleys. (PI. V.) In one or two instances
glacial till deposits occur as a substratum beneath some of the types
and a part of the stratified gravels and sands found sometimes in the
subsoils may be glacial outwash deposits.
The soils of the Columbia and Winans series and Riverwash are
confined to the stream bottoms, and are of recent alluvial origin.
The Columbia series is represented only by the Columbia fine sandy
loam. This is a light grayish brown or buff-colored soil underlain
by stratified alluvial deposits which vary in texture. The parent
material is derived from a ^\^de variety of quartz-bearing and quartz-
free rocks, and most of it has probably been transported long dis-
tances. The type occupies the present flood plain, and much of it
is subject to overflow, but where sufficiently elevated above the level
of the stream it is cultivated.
The Winans series occupies narrow areas of low terrace and bottom
lands in the Hood and White Salmon River Valleys. The soils and
subsoils are typically light brown or grayish brown in color and
underlain by a substratum of stream-laid gravels. The series is
represented by two types, a gravelly sandy loam and a loam. As
mapped, however, these two soils include some undifferentiated mate-
rial which in a more detailed survey, or if occurring in more exten-
sive bodies, would be recognized as distinct soil types. The parent
material is derived predominantly from basaltic rocks and much of
it has been transported but a short distance.
The gravelly sandy loam is confined to narrow, irregular bodies
along the Hood River, and usually occupies areas of low terraces
above the present level of the stream channel. This type is very
graveUy, the gravel consisting both of glacial and water-worn rock.
The formation of the soil is largely due to the reworking by alluvial
agencies of bodies of glacial till. The surface is moderately sloping,
except immediately along the river, where the land surface often
drops abruptly to the level of the stream. The type is traversed by
24
FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
a few intermittent drainage courses from the higher lands and sup-
ports a scant growth of fir, pine, and oak.
The Winans loam is a type of minor importance, confined where
typically developed to the Hood River Valley, and occurring as long,
narrow bodies of bottom land along the courses of the smaller streams.
The texture is extremely variable. The soil is the result of the depo-
sition of material from th(i flood waters of the bordering streams, and
a portion of the type is still subject to alteration bv occasional floods.
Riverwash is of no present agricultural importance, and consists
of sand and gravel deposits of the Columbia and Hood Rivers. The
type is submerged during periods of high water.
The names and extent of the various soils mapped in the area are
given below:
Areas of different soils.
Soil.
Underwood loam
Hood silt loam
Rough stony land
Underwood stony loam
Rockford stony clay loam
Eroded phase
Wind River loam
Wind River fine sandy loam
Riverwash
Wind River sandy loam
Light phase
Acres.
102,080
14,400
4,352
4,032
1,920
1,472
3,328
2,240
1,984
1,728
128
Per
cent.
1.3
Parkdale loam
Wind River gravelly sandy loam
Columbia fine sandy loam
Winans loam
Wmd River stony loam
Winans gravelly sandy loam
Rockford clay
Total
Acres.
,472
,152
,088
960
832
768
704
144, 640
Per
cent.
1.0
UNDERWOOD LOAM.
The soil of the Underwood loam consists of a loam 8 or 10 inches
deep and containing a large number of pellets about the size of buck-
shot. The soil material is generally of fine, smooth, silty texture.
The color ranges from grayish brown to reddish brown, and the term
''red-shot land" which is locaUy applied to this soil is not derived
from the color of the soil, but from the color of the pellets or concre-
tions. These pellets are usually soft and readily crushed in the fingers
when moist.
The subsoil may be either a loam or a clay loam of high silt content,
extending to a depth of 6 feet or more. Where the clay loam occurs
the surface loam is rarely over a foot in depth. The pellets may be
present in the subsoil, but always in smaller quantities than in the
surface soil. The soil is quite granular, and the presence of the pel-
lets makes even the hea\aer phases easy to cultivate.
This soil is one of the main types in both the Oregon and the Wash-
ington portions of the area. In the Hood River section it occurs on
the slopes of all the mountains in and bordering the valley, and, with
Report of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1912.
Plate IV.
Report of Bureau of Soils, U S. Dept- of Agriculture, 1912.
Plate V.
HOOD EIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 25
the exception of an irregular area of the Underwood stony loam on the
summit of the mountains and hills along the eastern boundary of the
area, it extends over the summits of all of the ridges in this part of the
area. In the White Salmon section the type is even more extensive
than on the opposite side of the river, and is found on the hills and
mountain crests, and on all of the slopes lying above the floor of the
valley proper.
The topogi'aphy varies considerably. From the soils of the floor of
the valley the surface of this type rises with either long, gentle slopes
or with slopes too abrupt to permit cultivation, while on the tops of
the surrounding mountains there usually are areas where the sur-
face is but slightly rolling, and often nearly level. Rock outcrop is
rarely encountered. The presence of rock in the subsoil is usually
indicated by a change in the native vegetation from heavily forested
slopes to those which are covered with a scanty growth of brush and
grass. The drainage is good and in many places excessive.
The Underwood loam is a residual soil derived from the weathering
of the underlving basalt. It includes a number of small areas of
undifferentiated soils along the base of the steeper slopes, where the
material is predominantly colluvial. Such areas are irregular, rela-
tively unimportant, and no attempt was made to indicate them sepa-
rately in the soil map. In color, texture, and adaptation to crops
these bodies do not differ materially from the adjacent soil. Small
and unimportant areas of undifferentiated red residual soils derived
from the basaltic rocks are also included. In a more detailed survey
these might w^arrant recognition as distinct soils.
The native vegetation varies with the topography and exposure.
Over the more level parts of the type a dense stand of Douglas fir is
common. On easy slopes there is a mixed forest of fir and pine, and
as the slope becomes steeper and the elevation greater the pine and
fir give way to oak and brush. On the steepest mountain sides,
particularly on southwest exposures, there is only a growth of grasses
and weeds.
With the exception of the steeper and rougher slopes, this type is
well adapted to the fruits commonly grown in this section. It is
utilized principally for the production of apples and strawberries.
IntertiQed crops are often grown m the younger orchards, and the
profit from these often enables the owner of the orchard to meet
running expenses until the trees come into bearing.
The value of this soil for agricultural purposes varies greatly,
depending largely upon the topography. The steep grass-covered
slopes have no value except for the scanty spring grazing they afford,
as much of this soil is relatively shallow and the surface is in many
places too steep to allow of cultivation. On the other hand, there
are areas from 1,000 to 2,000 feet in elevation where the surface is
26
FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
only slightly rolling and the soil commonly 30 feet or more in depth,
and these locations are among the choicest of the type. Between
these two extremes there are all grades of soil, and the intermediate
phases, which constitute the greater part of this type, are found on
hill slopes both above and below the more level areas, on the slopes
of the ravines in which the lesser water courses run, and on the slopes
of the hills which border the Columbia and its main tributaries.
The following table gives the average results of mechanical analyses
of the soil and subsoil of this type:
Mechanical analyses of Underwood loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
Clay.
560619, .560633
Soil
Per cent.
0.5
.2
Per cent.
4.1
3.4
Per cent.
7.5
6.3
Per cent.
11.8
10.5
Per cent.
10.5
10.5
Per cent.
47.6
45.7
Per cent.
18.0
560620,560634
Subsoil
23.2
UNDERWOOD STONY LOAM.
The Underwood stony loam to a depth of a few inches to 6 feet or
more is a light-brown or reddish-brown loam, containing a large
cjuantity of angular rock fragments varying from an inch in diameter
to large bowlders. Within 6 inches of the surface the soil usually
carries slightly more organic matter than below, and for that reason
it is slightly darker in color than the underlying material. Rock out-
crop commonly occurs on the crests of the elevations, and the bed-
rock is often encountered at depths of 6 feet or less in places where
erosion has removed mucli of the soil.
This soil is associated with the Underwood loam and always occu-
pies the crests and steep slopes of the mountains, usually at a greater
elevation than that type. The principal occurrence is in the elevated
mountainous region along the central-eastern margin of the area,
principally adjoining the Hood River Valley. Other smaller areas
occur in the vicinity of Dee, and one bod}' is located near the town of
White Salmon.
The topography is in general steep and the drainage excessive.
This type has the same origin as the Underwood loam, being a
residual soil derived fi'om basaltic lava. It differs from the loam
type in the higher proportion of rock fragments and in the generally
shallower soil and subsoil.
The forest growth on areas of lower elevation is either oak or oak
and pine, while the higher areas have either scrubby oak or are bare
with the exception of a scanty covering of grasses.
Owing to elevation and character of surface the type is generally
nonii'rigable. In the area near the town of Wliite Salmon the topog-
raphy generally favors the use of the land for farming, but with this
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 27
exception the type can hardly be termed desirable agricultural soil
and is best adapted to grazing.
ROUGH STONY LAND.
This type includes all areas where rock is present in such quan-
tities as to render the soil nonagricultural, except that portions of the
type may be utilized to some extent for grazmg. It mcludes lava
gorges through which several of the streams m the area have their
courses, areas of rock outcrop on the crests and steeper slopes of
the mountains, and recent lava flows. The largest single body of
this type is m the southwestern part of the area about 1^ miles
west of Parkdale, where one of the last flows of lava from Mount
Hood lies as a high, broad, steep -sided ridge 100 to 400 feet above
the surrounding country. This ridge rises abruptly from the lower
sods and is made up of innumerable angular blocks of lava of
varying sizes, which are unweathered and apparently as fresh as
though but recently cooled. A few scattermg pines are found on
the ridge, but these are growing m small pockets where the soil has
apparently been lodged by the wind rather than derived from the
breakmg down of the lava. The remamder of this type, excepting
the recent talus slopes at the base of some of the steeper areas, is
covered with a scattering stand of fir and pine.
ROCKFORD STONY CLAY LOAM.
The typical Rockford stony clay loam is a clay loam of rather
light texture and of light-brown to reddish-brown color, except in
localities of deficient drainage, m which the color of the surface is
darker. The soil is usually underlain at a depth of about 12 inches
by a reddish-brown to yellowish-brown, compact clay loam, in turn
resting on a stratum of compact glacial tUl.
Fragmental rock consistmg of glacial bowlders is present in all
of this type in such quantities that its removal is necessary before
the soil can be cultivated. In a few places the quantity of rock is
so large that it is doubtful whether it would be profitable to clear
the land. The rock fragments vary m size from pieces only a few
inches m diameter to bowlders several feet m diameter.
Typical bodies of this soil are moderately rolling and differentiated
from the bordermg types by beiag slightly elevated. The surface
drainage is generally good, but subdrainage is somewhat imperfect,
owing to the compact subsoil, and in a few places the lack of drainage
is indicated by a dift'erence in the color of the soil.
The Rockford stony clay loam occurs tyj^ically over the sloping
floor of the valley west and southwest of the town of Hood River.
One small body occupies a terrace or elevation above Hood River
near Dee.
28 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
The Rockford stony clay loam is <lerived from glacial till or
morainic deposits laid down at a time when the lower Hood River
Valley was filled by extensive ice sheets and left as a blanket of
rock and soil on the rocky floor of the valley upon the retreat of the
glaciers. Remnants of this material remam on the snow and ice
clad slopes of Mount Hood. A part of the material has doubtless
been removed by subsequent erosion, and this soil type represents
those areas that have resisted removal.
Forests of pme and oak, the latter predommating, originally
covered the entke area of this soil. The growth was somewhat
open and there was a fair grazmg for the cattle belonging to the
early settlers. With the extension of the cultivated area parts of
the more level areas were cleared and planted with orchard, and at
present possibly half of the forest has been removed.
While parts of this type carry so much stone that it is doubtful
whether their clearing would prove profitable, the larger part of the
comparatively level bodies can be and is beuig cleared, the rock
removed, and orchards set out.
Where the physical conditions of this soil are favorable it is well
adapted to the production of the fruits grown in this section. Areas
of deficient drainage can be profitably used for growing the forage
crops.
Rockford stony day loam, eroded phase. — The Rockford stony clay
loam includes an eroded phase, which is indicated on the soil map by
means of ruling. This phase embraces sloping and hilly, rocky lands
parallelmg the Columbia River west of the town of Hood River, on
the Oregon side, and in the vicinity of Bingen, on the Washington
side. It carries' a greater quantity of rock fragments than the typical
soil. The clay loam fine earth may persist to a depth of 6 feet or
more, but in most areas the subsoil is a heavier clay loam, or the clay
loam may be underlain at less than 6 feet by a mass of glacial bowl-
ders, with some finer material. Where the heavy clay loam subsoil
occurs the surface soil is seldom over 18 inches in depth. The stony
subsoil is commonly cemented into a very compact mass, wliich can
be broken only by blasting, and owing to its presence portions of this
phase are of no agricultural value.
The surface is always sloping, and the slopes are sometimes very
steep, although it is not subject to erosion. The larger part of the
phase carries rocks in quantities sufficient to prohibit its clearing
and utilization for cultivated crops. The boundaiy between tliis
phase of the type and the bordering higher-lying soils of the floor of
the valley is marked by an irregular line, at which the surface of the
land begins to drop toward the Columbia River or toward the Hood
River. Bodies of this phase are bordered on the side nearest the
HOOD KIVER-WHITE SALMON EIVER AREA.
29
river either by the alluvial soil along the streams or by narrow areas
of Rough stony land.
The drainage of the phase is commonly deficient. This is due both
to the seepage of water from the higher lands and to retarded internal
drainage, which frequently results from the presence of the under-
lying cemented material. A small body of land mapped as the
eroded phase of the Rockford stony clay loam and occuriing upon
the Washmgton side of the Columbia River in the ^dcinity of Bmgen
is of doubtful glacial origin. The area covered is, however, of small
extent and of little agricultural value and does not depart greatly
from the bodies u])on the Oregon side m character of soil, topography,
or agricultural utilization.
The tillable jjortions of the eroded phase are confined to small,
scattered areas where the cemented substratum does not lie near the
surface and where the amount of rock is not so large as to prevent its
economical removal.
The following table gives the average results of mechanical analyses
of typical samples of the soil and subsoil:
Mechanical analyses of Rockford stony clay loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
Clay.
560615,560645
560616,560646
Soil
Per cent.
0.7
.6
Per cent.
3.6
3.9
Per cent.
5.6
5.7
Per cent.
12.2
12.3
Per cent.
14.2
14.6
Per cent.
41.3
39.8
Per cent.
22.5
Subsoil
22.9
ROCKFORD CLAY.
The Rockford clay consists of 6 to 12 inches of a light-brown to
reddish-brown clay, with a texture approaching that of a heavy clay
loam. The soil is rather compact, but under favorable conditions is
capable of being maintained m friable tilth. The subsoil is a compact,
tenacious clay, varying from red or reddish brown in the upper to
yellowish brown m the deeper part. No gravel is encountered in
this type, pellets are rare, and glacial bowlders are present only in
small quantities either within the body of the type or along the
boundary between it and the Rockford stony clay loam.
In parts of this type the surface soil has a distmct red color, not
typical of the Rockford series. The areas of such soil, however, are
too small to warrant map])ing them as a distinct type.
Only one body of Rockford clay is found m the area. This occurs
in the western part of the Hood River Valley, between the slopes of
the momitains and the main body of the Rockford stony clay loam.
The type occupies a number of well-developed ridges or rolhng eleva-
tions between which there are a number of small drainage ways, and
30
FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912,
wliile subdrainage is restricted by the com})act subsoil, the surface
drainage is good.
While recognized in this survey as a member of the Rockford series,
the material of which is derived from glacial tUl and morainic deposits,
this type as mapped includes more or less undifferentiated coUuvial
and allu\ial foot-slope material washed from adj acent more elevated
slopes occupied by the Underwood loam and the Rockford stony clay
loam.
The Rockford clay type is largely cleared of its native vegetation
and used for the production of apples, which has met with success
despite the hea\'y subsoil. It is very probable that in those areas
where the clay subsoil is most tenacious and lies nearest to the surface
the soil would prove well adapted to the pear.
The following table gives the results of mechanical analyses of
samples of the soU and subsoil of the Rockford clay:
Mechanical analyses of Rockford clay.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
Clay.
560617
Soil
Per cent.
0.3
.7
Per cent.
2.3
2.3
Per cent.
3.9
3.9
Per cent.
8.5
8.7
Per cent.
9.5
11.0
Per cent.
38. 9
38.6
Per cent.
36.6
560618
Subsoil
34.8
PARKDALE LOAM.
The soil of the Parkdale loam, to a depth of 12 mches, is a granular,
friable, grajdsh-brown to yellowish-brown or light reddish brown
loam, containing a considerable number of small iron concretions or
pellets or spherically weathered fragments of basaltic rock, similar to
those occurring m the soils of the Underwood series. The subsoil is
similar to the soil in texture, or it may be a mottled silt loam. It
very commonly differs from the surface soil only ui that the pellets
are less numerous and the color is Ughter. Material like the subsoil
usually extends to a considerable depth below 6 feet. At 20 feet or
more below the surface the material, as may be seen in cuts, is a coarse
bowlder till, and it is probable that it underhes the entire type.
In general this soil is permeable and the dramage good, but there
are small areas where the internal drainage is deficient. In these
places the texture of the soil is heavier than normal, and the effect of
the excess moisture has been to bleach the materials, forming areas
of hght-colored or ashy-gray soU.
The Parkdale loam is the prevailing soil of the upper Hood River
Valley; that is, that part of the valley above the narrow gorge of the
Hood River at Winans. The vaUey floor constitutes a visibly slop-
ing plain gradually rising toward the south, bordered on each side by
HOOD EIVER-WHITE SALMON EIVER AREA. 31
the slopes of the hills and mountains which rise from 1,000 to 2,000 feet
above it, and dissected by the several forks of the Hood River. These
streams flow in gorges usually 150 feet or more below the general
level of the plain, but only the lower 40 or 50 feet of these gorges is
cut in the lava bedrock. Laterals from the streams have worked
back into the plain and m places have dissected it thoroughly. This
causes the topography to vary from broad, smooth-topped ridges to
steep slopes, the latter along the stream channels.
At one time practically the entire Hood Kiver VaUey was covered
with glaciers descending from the upper slopes of Mount Hood.
Upon retreating these masses of ice left behind a thick deposit of
bowlders, rock, gravel, and soil, which now lies just above the lava
bedrock of the country. While the material of the Parkdale series
is regarded as derived prmcipally from weathered ice-laid material,
certain features of the topography suggest a glacial outwash plam.
The melting ice was the source of numerous streams, which naturally
carried large amounts of eroded rock material. This would under
favorable conditions be deposited as a mantle of varying thickness
over the rocky till. In the absence of bowlders and in the general
fine, sUty character of the superficial material the soil further re-
sembles the material of water-laid sediments, and the soil and sub-
soil may consist m part or even predominantly of glacial outwash
sediments. The underlying glacial tiU, on the other hand, appears
to have been deeply weathered, and the soil may be solely the result
of the nearly complete weathering of ice-laid material.
The native vegetation consists of a dense growth of fir upon the
ridges, with cedar and a number of deciduous trees in the narrow
stream bottoms.
Although this part of the area has been inhabited for many years,
it is only within the last five years that there has been any serious
attempt to develop it agriculturally. Lack of transportation facilities
has been the greatest hindrance to progress in this part of the area,
but now that railroad transportation is available the land is being
rapidly cleared and put under cultivation. Both hay and orchard
crops are now grown, and the conditions are favorable for a con-
siderable extension of the acreage devoted to them. Where the
soil is well dramed, apples and strawberries do well, but on account
of the short growhig season, due to elevation, the production of
some crops is impracticable. Where drainage is not excessive, the
soil is retentive of moisture, and the native grasses, as well as clover
and alfalfa, yield well.
32
FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
The folloA\diig table gives the average results of mechanical analyses
of the soil and subsoil of this type:
Mechanical analyses of Parkdalc loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
Clay.
560604,560606...
Soil
Per cent.
2.2
1.1
Per cent.
5.0
4.2
Per cent.
7.4
6.7
Per cent.
14.5
13.0
Per cent.
12.7
10.4
Per cent.
46.7
51.2
Per cent.
11.4
560605,560607
Subsoil
13.5
HOOD SILT LOAM.
The soil of the Hood silt loam is of light-gray or yellowish-gray
color, excepting in a few poorly dramed areas, where the color ranges
from dark gray to nearly black. The soil is predominantly a silt
loam, the silt content, however, being rather low and replaced to a
large extent by very fine sand. In many localities it closely ap-
proaches a loam or silty, fine sandy loam in texture, and some un-
differentiated bodies havmg a light loam or heavy fine sandy loam
texture occur. The variation in texture is, however, not %vide, and
in general appearance, structure, and relation to agriculture the type
is remarkably uniform. A few concretions or pellets occur in places,
and where the tyjDC adjoins the Underwood loam there has been
here and there an admixture of material washed from the slopes
occupied by the latter soil.
The subsoil is a loam or silt loam and very much like the soil in
texture and color, but there are a number of places m the Hood River
Valley where the subsoil is extremely compact, bemg locally known
as a hardpan. This compact material is frequently slightly cemented,
and causes considerable trouble in handlhig the orchards, as it not
only hhiders the internal dramage of the soil, but prevents the normal
development of the tree roots, resulting m a decrease m the vigor
and productiveness of the trees.
In depth the soil mass is subject to more or less iiTegularity. In
the Wliite Salmon River Valley, so far as could be determined, it rests
directly upon the underl}dng basalt, wliich may occur at any depth
between 6 and 100 feet. In the Hood River Valley the soil is appar-
ently underlaui in places both by deposits of glacial till and by strlita
of an incoherent, yeUowish-brown sand, though neither of these
formations seem to occur witliin 10 or 15 feet of the surface. In the
areas of the deeper deposits the substratum underlying the subsoil
usually consists of compact, stratified fine sand, fuie sandy loam, or
more frequently of finer sediments of silty clay loam or silty day
texture. Both soil and subsoil material are free from gravel, bowlders,
or other rock fragments, except in a few localities adjoining other soil
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 33
types from which a small admixtm:"e of such material may have been
derived.
The Hood silt loam is found m both of the valleys in this area. In
the Hood River Valley it covers the greater part of the lower valley
floor between the Hood River and the range of mountains along the
eastern boundary of the area. A relatively small area is also found
just west of the Hood River, where it occurs in a long, narrow body
approximately parallel mth the stream. In the White Salmon
Valley the type occupies aU of the slightly elevated lands along the
White Salmon River, from a point about 3 miles north of Husum
southward to the Columbia River. It also forms a long, narrow
body in the dramage basm of Jewett Creek, a short distance north of
the town of White Salmon.
In the Hood River VaUey the general slope of this type is from the
mountains toward the river. It has a generally uniform surface,
but includes a number of low, broad ridges. Along Hood River the
type forms in places a nearly precipitous bluff, or slopes more gently
to the stream. In the latter case the areas are not too steep for culti-
vation. In the White Salmon Valley the topography is subject to
considerable variation, the type occurrmg either as relatively smooth
slopes above the streams or as prominent knolls and ridges rising
toward the mountams on each side.
The drainage is generally good, though where the soil is unusually
compact the internal movement of water is retarded. In an area in
the vicinity of OdeU the surface drainage is but partially developed.
Here the artificial drainage may be provided b}^ digging ditches and
laymg tiles, but where the compact subsoil is found blasting will have
to be employed to improve the conditions.
The origin and mode of formation of this type is not altogether
clear, but it seems to have been derived from old sedimentary deposits
laid down over areas of basalt or glacial till. In the White Salmon
Valley the substratum of tiU is apparently absent, but the simi-
larity of color, texture, and structure m tiie bodies of tliis soil on both
sides of the Columbia River indicate a similarity in the method of
formation of the soil proper.
The uniform fuieness of the material suggests that it was deposited
in quiet waters. The deposition probably took place iti sheltered
bays or estuaries occupying the vaUeys durmg a period of depression.
One or more periods of relative depression are believed to have taken
place subsequent to the active period of glaciation. At such times
the waters of the Columbia and its tributaries must have backed far
up the valleys.
The deposits probably consist mainly of glacial sediments derived
from basaltic and andesitic rocks and carried into the area of deposi-
34
FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
tion by the streams draining the high glacier-clad peaks. There
may also have been an admixture of volcanic ash deposited directly
in the waters or eroded from adjacent slopes, and the material may
include some alluvial valley filling washed from the slopes of adjacent
more elevated soils.
In the White Salmon Valley a greater part of the type was origi-
nally covered with a dense stand of fir, and along the stream courses
heavy growths of deciduous timber and underbrush were always
present. Much of this forest still remains, but it is now rapidly dis-
appearmg before the agricultural development of the valley. In the
Hood River Valley the native vegetation mcluded pine and scattering
oak, with but little brush and grass, and at present comparatively little
of the original forest remains. With but few exceptions, this part of
the type is devoted to the production of fruit, the only other crop
being a small amount of forage grown between the fruit trees or on
the moist lands in the vicinity of Odell.
Wliere adequately drained this type of sod is well adapted to the
production of apples. Where the soil is unusually moist forage crops
do exceptionally well, and m this area, where there is such a lack of
these products, the prices obtained are sufficiently high to warrant
the use of all such areas for hay and forage production.
The following table gives the average results of mechanical analyses
of the soil and subsoil of this type:
Mechanical analyses of Hood silt loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Sil^
Clay.
660625,560641
560626,560642
Soil
Subsoil
Per cent.
0.4
.1
Per cent.
2.4
.8
Per cent.
4.8
1.9
Per cent.
9.6
7.8
Per cent.
20.3
26.6
Per cent.
48.8
42.8
Per cent.
13.6
19.8
WIND RIVER STONY LOAM.
The Wind River stony loam consists usually of 6 feet or more of a
light-brown to reddish-brown heavy loam. It is generally granular
and friable, and contains large quantities of rock, consisting of sub-
angular fragments of basalt scattered over the surface and through-
out the soil profile. In places this coarse material is so abundant that
it is impracticable to clear the land. Some areas have a rather shal-
low soil and are underlain by basaltic rock m place. Here a small
amount of undifferentiated residual material may be included with
the alluvial sod.
This soil occurs as a single body occupying a bench or terrace in the
White Salmon Valley, lying about 600 feet above the level of the
Columbia River. On the west and north sides it merges with the
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 35
rolling hills and mountain slopes covered with the Underwood loam.
The topography is sloping to gently rollmg, and the dramage is good.
This is an old alluvial soil, deposited at a time when the flood plain
of the Columbia River stood at this level. The color and structure
of the soil and the nature of the embedded rocks mdicate that much
of the material of this type has not, however, been transported for
any considerable distance, and the supei'ficial soil material has doubt-
less been derived, at least in part, from recent alluvial wash from
near-by sloping areas of the Underwood loam.
The forest on this type consists of fir, pine, and scrubby oak, but the
larger part of the area origmally forested has been cleared and the
land set in orchards. The uncleared areas are very rocky and it is
doubtful whether it would be profitable to clear and plant these
sections. With one or two exceptions, none of the orchards are in
bearing, and those that have reached the bearing age have not been
producing for a sufficient length. of time to determme the value of this
soil in the growing of apples. The development of the trees indicates
that the soil is well adapted to them, but some doubt is expressed as
to the ability of the type to mamtam heavily bearmg orchards with-
out the aid of UTigation. No water is now available and it will be
difficult to supply, owing to the position of the type.
WIND RIVER GRAVELLY SANDY LOAM.
The surface soil of the Wind River gravelly sandy loam consists
of from 6 to 18 inches of a light- textured, friable sandy loam, usually
containing a relatively high proportion of sdt and very fine sand.
It is light brown to reddish brown m color, and carries a large quan-
tity of ffiie gravel, mainly small red pellets, concretions of spherically
weathered basaltic particles. The subsoil is either a sandy loam
similar in texture to the surface soil, or a loamy sand showing more
or less stratification and carrymg varying quantities of ffiie, sub-
angular or waterworn gravel. In places the sandy loam subsoil has
the same color as the surface soil, but it is more commonly a lighter
brown or yellowish brown. The loamy sand subsoil is always gray.
The gravel of the subsoil is made up of small rock particles which
have been rounded by the action of water.
In extent this is one of the minor types of the area. It is developed
in four small bodies. The area nearest Hood River has a very
uniform surface, except along the course of Indian Creek, where
there is a sharp descent to the bed of that stream. The body in the
Wliite Salmon River Valley also has a uniform surface, which slopes
sharply from the hUls toward Jewett Creek and the basaltic cliff
overlooking the Columbia River.
The drainage of this type is always good, and in places where the
sandy subsoil lies near the surface it is excessive. The topography
36
FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
and character of the material indicate that the type is of alluvial
origin. It may, however, include more or less glacial outwash
material.
Origmally the type was covered with a mixed forest of oak and
pine, but owing to the nearness of the areas to the principal towns
in the area they have all been cleared, and are occupied by town
dwellings or used for farming.
Owmg to its low power to hold moisture the Wind River gravelly
sandy loam is of little value for cultivated crops without krigation, but
with ii'rigation apples and berries do well, attammg as good size, color,
and flavor as the fruits grown on some of the heavier soils in the area.
For the production of vegetables and truck crops under irrigation,
this soil is almost as valuable as are the alluvial soils along the Colum-
bia River.
The following table gives the average results of mechanical analyses
of samples of the soil and subsoil of this type :
Mechanical analyses of Wind Biver gravelly sayidy loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
.sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
Clay.
560612,560629
560613. 560&30... .
Soil
Per cent.
9.3
9.9
Per cent.
15.8
27.9
Per cent.
7.9
13.4
Per cent.
6.8
6.4
Per cent.
12.2
9.9
Per cent.
37.8
23.1
Per cent.
10.1
Subsoil .
9.4
WIND RIVER SANDY LOAM.
The soil of the Wind River sandy loam is a sandy loam of light-
brown to reddish-brown color and of open, porous structure. The
subsoil is sunilar m texture and structure to the soil material, but
somewhat lighter m color in the lower depths. The subsoil is under-
lain at varymg depths below 2 feet by a stratum of grayish gravelly
loamy sand, similar to that underhmig other members of the series.
The soil differs from the gravelly sandy loam of the same series prmci-
pally m the absence of the fuie red pellets, though apparently iden-
tical with it in origin and mode of formation.
An irregular body of this soil lies south and southwest of the town
of Hood River, and two small bodies are found m the White Salmon
River Valley north of the town of Underwood.
Wlien first cleared of the fir and oak forest this soil was devoted to
the production of strawberries. The berry fields are now giving
place to apple orchards. Irrigation is generally considered necessary
for the profitable production of these fruits. Water is required by
the strawberry throughout the growing season, but in a large number
of the orchards no water is applied until the trees come into bearing.
Wind River saiuhj loam, light ijliase. — The Wmd River sandy loam,
light phase, consists of a porous, slightly coherent sandy loam, carry-
HOOD KIVEE-WHITE SALMON RIVEE AREA.
37
iiig sufficient quantities of finer material to render it slightly sticky
when wet. The color varies from a light brown to a yellowish or
reddish brown and, as the surface soil usually contains some organic
matter, its color is darker than that of the subsoil. In texture and
structure the subsoil is usually similar to the soil material. On
account of the light, loose, incoherent nature of the soil, it is subject
to drifting when the surface is not protected. Beds of stratified sand
and fine gravel are commonly present at varying depths below 6 feet.
One body of this phase of the Wind River sandy loam occurs south
of the town of Hood River, near the center of a large body of the
typical soil. Near by are a number of smaller bodies of the phase,
but as they are seldom more than an acre or so in extent it is imprac-
ticable to show them on the map. The surface of the soil is very
uniform. Drainage is excessive.
The soU is almost entirely under cultivation, and when properly
handled it has proved well adapted to the production of apples and
strawberries. It would also give excellent results with truck crops.
Owing to the sandy nature of the type, the addition of organic matter
in some form is necessary in the production of aU crops. The soil
also requires copious irrigation.
The foUowiiig table gives the results of mechanical analyses of the
soU and subsoil of the typical Wind River sandy loam and of a single
analysis of the soU of the light phase of the type:
Mechanical analyses of Wind River sandy loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium Fine
sand. sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
Clay.
Typical:
560601,560639.
Soil
Per cent.
3.9
6.3
0.4
Per cent.
14.5
20.2
12.0
Per cent.
20.2
22.6
27.0
Per cent.
17.9
13.6
28.2
Per cent.
9.9
7.5
9.7
Per cent.
22.5
20.3
14.9
Per cent.
ILl
560640
Light phase:
560602.
Subsoil
SoU
9.4
7.8
WIND RIVER FINE SANDY LOA>f.
The soil and subsoil material of the Wind River fine sandy loam
is a friable, brown or light-brown fine sandy loam, containing a
relatively large proportion of coarse and medium sand. The material
is not marked by any decided change in color or texture, though the
shade of brown becomes somewhat lighter with depth. Basalt rock
underlies the type and seems to have an extremely kregular surface,
so that the depth of the soil is subject to sudden variations. In
many places the soil is but a few inches in depth, and rock outcrop
is common, while within a short distance it may be 10 or 12 feet deep.
Some fine, waterworn gravel, derived from higher lying masses of
volcanic rock, is present in places, but seldom in sufficient quantities
38 FIELD OPERATIONS OF TUE BUREAU OF SOILS, Htl2.
to be of auy importance. The pellets conspicuous in most of the
other members of the Wind Kivor series are wantin<r-
The type occm*s on the nearly smooth, sloping floor of the iii)i)cr
White Salmon River Valley, in the extreme northern part of the
area, and as a single small bod}' in the Hood Iliver Valley, about
2 miles west of the to^vn of Ilood River.
The drainage is usually good to slightly excessive. The uuder-
hiiig rock hi the White Salmon River Valley consists of a sheet of
basaltic lava of recent date, the sm-facc of which, over much of the
area covered by tliis soil type, is marked h^^ irregular mounds of
protrudmg rock vrith mtervenhig depressions jiartially fiUed with soil
material. The u-regularities of surface have doubtless been caused
b}' steam, the mounds often appearmg as steam blisters from a few
feet to a few rods m diameter. Owmg to this structure excessive
subdrainage is a general characteristic of the soil t}'po, and, miless
there is a considerable depth of soil to act as a reservoir for moisture,
irrigation or raui water rapidly percolates below the reach of ])lant
roots.
The soil is apparently of alluvial origui and without relation to the
underh-ing lava. It is not, however, m all respects tA'pical of the
Wind River series, and fm-ther field studies may warrant placmg it
m a distinct series. The material is apparently derived mainly from
basaltic rocks, and it seems probable that foUowhig the filling in of
the vaUey depression by the flow of lava m the Wliite Salmon River
Valley, a stream, now represented by the White Salmon River, fol-
lowed a course across the lava and deposited a mantle of sedhnent
derived from the material eroded from the soils and rocks on the
southern and southwestern slopes of Momit Adams. In the Hood
River Valley the soil occupies a small area of elevated terrace and is
a remnant of an old elevated plaui of the Columbia River. It is not
unlikely that some material derived by weathering of the miderljing
basaltic rock has been mixed with th(^ alluvium, but the basalt where
exposed shows little c\ddence of wcathermg.
The original forest growth on this type consisted of phie, witli but
little undergrowth of brush or grass. The stand of pine was scatter-
ing, on account of the scanty supply of moistm'e, in marked contrast
to the heavily forested and brush-covered slopes of the bordering
mountams, where the de])th of the soil and the presence of moisture
are favorable to the growth of trees.
On account of the shallowness of much of this tyi)e, the area of
cultivable land is small. It is only hi thost^ ])arts where the soil is
of considerable dci:)th that any cultivation has been attempted, and
then only with the aid of nrigation. Hay crops, such as native
grasses, aUaKa, and clover, do well and are grown for the feedmg of
work anhnals or thxiry stock. Some fruit, includmg apples, crab
HOOD EIVER-WHITE SALMON KIVER AREA.
39
apples, and strawberries, are grown, but in the upper Wliite Salmon
River VaUey the commercial planting of these fruits is attended by
considerable risk, owing to elevation and consequent increased danger
of late sprmg frosts.
The follo^\dng table gives the results of mechanical analyses of the
soil and subsoil of this type :
Mechanical analyses of Wind River fine sandy loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
Clay.
560623
Soil. .
Per cent.
4.6
3.6
Per cent.
10.8
9.6
Per cent.
8.7
S.6
Per cent.
17.6
18.1
Per cent.
13.4
13.9
Per cent.
34.8
36.1
Percent.
10 1
560624
Subsoil
10.1
WIND RIVER LOAM.
The soil of the Wind River loam consists of a friable brown to dark
reddish brown loam, carrj-ing appreciable quantities of smaU red
pellets. The subsoil is in most cases of a Hghter brouTi color, though
generally similar to the soil in other respects. Occasionally it is a light-
gray, more compact loam. It is usually underlam by a stratified
grayish sand, often containing small quantities of fine, waterworn,
and subangular gravel, and suth material may displace the hea^der
subsoil at depths ranging from 12 mches to 6 feet.
Three bodies of this type occur in the lower Hood River VaUey,
west of the river, the largest development being east and northeast
of Oak Grove. The other bodies m this valley are not far from the
town of Hood River, to the west and southwest. In that part of the
area lying in Washuigton the type occurs in the middle and upper
parts of the White Salmon Valley.
The topography varies from smooth to rolling. The body of the
tj^e near Oak Grove has the more rolling surface, bemg cut by a
number of small intermittent drainage ways leading to the river.
The type usually has an elevation of several hundred feet above the
present stream valleys. In the smaller body of this sod, about 3 miles
southwest of the town of Hood River, the surface is somewhat lower
than that of the sm-rounding soils and the drainage outlets are in-
adequate. With this exception the drainage of this type is very
good.
The soil is apparently the result of alluvial agencies, but the material
may be in part outwash material from former glaciers.
Originally the type supported a moderately heavy stand of fir,
with a scattering of oak in places, and a rather thin growth of grass
and small brush. At the present time, in the Hood River Valley,
all of the forest has been removed and the land is largely in orchards.
40
FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
Ill the White Sahnon Valley most of tlu^ laud is still uncloaivd and on
much of it a heav^^ stand of fir remains.
With the exce]->tion of the body where the dramage conditions are
not well established, all of tliis soil is well adajjted to the i)roductiou
of large and small fruits. In the moister areas forage crops j-ield
well. It is utihzed mauily for the ]>roductiou of apples, strawberries,
and graui and hay crops.
The follo^ving table gives the average results of mechanical analyses
of the soil and of a single analysis of the subsoil of tliis tj-j^e:
Mechanical analyses of Wind River loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very flue
saiid.
Silt.
Clay.
560621, 560647. . ..
Soil
Per cent.
1-f
Per cent.
5.9
4.7
Per cent.
7. 7
8.1
Per cent.
12.3
12.5
Percent.
11.2
12.1
Per cent.
45.9
39.5
Per cent.
15.4
560622
Subsoil
22.3
WINANS GRAVELLY SANDY LOAM.
The soil of the Winans gravelly sandy loam varies widely in texture,
but it is typically' a light-textured, light-bro^\^l or grayish-brown
sandy loam containing a large quantity of subangular to well-
rounded cobbles, bowlders, and graA'el. The subsoil is similar in
color, texture, and structure to the soil and generally extends to a
depth of 6 feet or more. It is underlain by a stratum of waterworn
gravel, cobbles, and sand, sometimes at a depth of less than 6 feet.
This is one of the less important types of the area, bemg found hi
only a few small bodies along the Hood River. It occupies bottom
lands in recent narrow stream vallej^^s, but is generally elevated
several feet above the stream channel and is not subject to overflow.
The type varies from small areas of soil of fahly uniform surface
to long, narrow areas where the surface slopes sharply toward the
stream. The areas are commonh' marked by former stream channels.
The Winans gravelly sandy loam is a rather recent alluvial soil,
composed of material ])robably derived mauily from near-by areas
of stony glacial till.
The agricultural value of this type is dependent upon the quantity
of fragment al rock in the soil, the character of the forest, and the
regularity of the surface. It is not an important agricultural soil
but is utilized to some extent for the production of apples, straw-
berries, and hay crops. The larger part of the type is rather porous,
and excessively drainetl, and without ii-rigation is not well adapted
to the production of orchard or forage crops.
HOOD RIVEE-WHTTE SALMON RIVER AREA.
41
The following table gives the results of a meclianical analysis of a
sample of the soil of this type:
Mechanical analysis of Winans gravelly sai^dy loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
riay.
560603
Soil
Ptr ccnl.
R.9
Per cinl.
20.7
/V r cent.
15.5
Per cent.
22.1
Per cent.
9.3
Per cent.
16.7
Per cent.
6 S
WINANS LOAM.
The texture of the soil of this type shows a wide variation, not
only between the different bodies but also wdtliin narrow Ihiiits in
each body, and the type as mapped includes small areas of sandy
loam and of light clay loam texture. The prevaUhig soil, however,
Ls a fine, smooth, slightly sticky loam. The color of the soil and
subsoil is also subject to considerable variation, but is typically
grayish brown to reddish brown. Waterworn basaltic gravel may
or may not be present m the type, and where encountered it is most
abundant m the subsoU. The subsoil is general!}^ similar in texture
and structure to the surface soil and of shghtly lighter color. It is
underlam by a stratum of waterworn, stream-deposited gravels.
The surface of this type is smooth, slopmg, and broken only by
the present streams and by a few swales that indicate the courses
of former drainage ways. In general the type is lower than the
surrounding soils, from which it is usually separated by an abrupt
terrace, 10 feet or more in height. On account of the low position of
the larger bodies of this soil, di-amage is commonly deficient. Small
areas of the soil are occasionally overflowed.
The principal areas of the Winans loam are long, narrow stri])s
occupymg the bottoms along Neal, Odell, and Phelps Creeks and
the East Fork of Hood River in the Hood River Valley. One small
body occupies stream terraces in the vicinity of Ilusum in the Wliitc
Salmon River Valley. A part of this area forms a somewhat higher
terrace than do the typical areas, and the soil has a dark-brown color
and a much heavier" texture.
The soil is alluvial and of rather recent origin, having been deposited
by the earlier activities of the present streams. The material com-
posing it has been derived from the mountain slopes, where the
Underwood loam is the prevailing type of soil.
The native vegetation, which included hi', pine, cedar, and decid-
uous trees and brush, has been largely removed and the land devoted
to forage and orchard crops. The pear has been most generally
planted on this soil. Although this fruit will withstand rather
adverse conditions, the high moisture content" of this soil and the
42 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912.
greater likeliliood of late spring frosts, owing to low dovation, make it
a poor fruit soil and not well adapted to commercial orchards. This
soil is well suited to clover and alfalfa, and it should be devoted chiefly
to these or similar crops.
COLUMBI.\ FINE SANDY I.OAM.
The soil of the Columbia Ime sandy loam is ])redommantly a porous,
friable fine sandy loam of light grayish brown to buff color. The sub-
soil is generally similar m color, texture, and structure to the soil
material, and is underlain at varying depths by stratified stream-laid
sands ami by basaltic bedrock.
The soil is alluvial and has been formed by deposition of material
from overflow waters of the Columbia River. Owmg to the varying
nature of the materials carrietl by the stream, and the irregularity
with which they have been laid dowTi, the structure and texture of the
type is subject to considerable variation, even within small areas.
Near Bmgen the prevailing soil is a moderately fuie sandy loam, m
which small amounts of fine waterworn gravel sometunes occur. On
the south bank of the Columbia River, from the mouth of Hood River
eastward to the boundary of the areas, the soil is usually a very fuie
sandy loam, free from gravel or rock. West of the mouth of Hood
River it is a heavy fine sandy loam, and in small areas almost a silt
loam. In some small areas this type is uniform to a considerable
depth, but in general the soil is made up of a number of thin strata of
material varymg from fine sands to silt loams. Gravel and bowlders
are decidedly rare in this soil, being encountered only in the body of
the type near Bmgen, and even here the amount of the coarser mate-
rial is too small to be of any importance.
The Columbia fine sandy loam type is confuied to the flood plain
of the Columbia River, and occurs on both sides of that stream. On
the Washington side of the river there is but a single area near Bingen,
while on the Oregon side areas are numerous, though only small areas
occur east of the mouth of the Hood River.
None of this type is more than a few feet above the usual level of
the streams. The land rises from the water's edge with a gentle slope,
broken only by occasional sloughs. The drainage of the type is good
to deficient, depending upon the elevation of the surface above the
general level of the water. Some of the lower lying areas are subject
to overflow durmg periods of high water.
The type is made up of sediments carried by the stream during
flood periods. Some of the material has probably been transported
great distances and is derived from a variety of quartz-bearing and
quartz-free rocks. Mmgled with this is some basaltic material
derived from regions adjacent to the survey.
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA.
43
Originally all the type was covered with a dense growth of cotton-
wood, willow, alder, and underbrush, and over most of its area this
growth still remains. Occasional areas of the soil are devoted to grain
or various tilled crops. The ease with which it may be cultivated and
the abundance of moisture make it a valuable soil for truck and forage
crops.
The followmg table gives the results of mechanical analyses of the
soil and subsoil of this type:
Mechanical ayialyses of Columbia fine sandy loam.
Number.
Description.
Fine
gravel.
Coarse
sand.
Medium
sand.
Fine
sand.
Very fine
sand.
Silt.
Clay.
560G27
Soil
Per cent.
0.2
Per cent.
0.7
Per cent.
0.7
.1
Per cent.
19.0
15.4
Per cent.
52.1
42.2
Per cent.
24.0
34.3
Per cent.
3.4
560628
Subsoil
.0 .0
7.8
RIVERWASH.
Riverwash includes the sand and gravel beds in the Columbia and
Hood River flood plains. At the mouth of Hood River, and in various
places along its course, this type often consists merely of beds of
waterworn cobbles, gravel, and sand, but along the south bank of
the Columbia River it includes extensive deposits of a grayish to
yellowish fine sand. The areas lie but little above the usual level of
the water in the streams, and in the spring practically all of them are
under water.
Owing to the danger of overflow and the usual light, gravelly nature
of this type, it has no agricultural value.
SUMMARY.
The Hood River-White Salmon River area comprises about 226
square miles, or 144,640 acres, in and adjoining the Hood River Valley
in the State of Oregon and the Wliite Salmon River Valley in the
State of Washington.
The former part of the area lies in Hood River County in the north-
central part of Oregon. The limits of the agricultural part of the
valley are marked by the character or degree of slope and by the ele-
vation of the surrounding mountains. All of this part of the area
lies within the drainage basin of the Hood River and its tributaries.
The larger part of the Hood River Valley is made up of elevated
stream terraces and plateaulike areas, the surface of which varies
from smooth and sloping to slightly rolling. The hill and mountain
soils rise directly from the floor of the valley and have a surface
varying from moderately to steeply sloping.
44 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 11)12.
All of the Hood River Valley section of the area was originally
covered with a heavy growth of fir and pine. Although the larger
part of the hill and mountain slopes remain in forest, the comparatively
level soils of the valley have been largely cleared and the land devoted
to cultivated crops.
The "\Miite Salmon River Valley lies in the southern part of the State
of Washington, in both Klickitat and Skamania Counties, and is
separated from the Hood River Valley section by the Columbia River.
This part of the area is drained by the Wliito Salmon River and tribu-
tary streams. The larger part of this section of the area is made up
of the mountain slopes. The suitableness of the land for cultivation
is governed by the degree of slope and the depth of soil. An irregular
belt of soil along the White Salmon River, lying at varying eleva-
tions above the level of the stream, supports the oldest and most
extensive agricultural development in this part of the area.
Hood River is the largest town in the Hood River Valley section,
and Wliite Salmon is the prmcipal town of that part of the area
lying north of the Columbia.
Transportation is furnished by lines of railroads along both banks
of the Columbia River, and by a number of steamers which ])ly
betw^een The Dalles and Portland.
The clmiate is characterized by moderately cool summers and
mild \\Tnters. The annual rainfall averages about 40 inches. The
average velocity of the wind is high, but destructive wdnds are
vinknown.
The first settlers were interested largely hi stock grazing, but as
the j)opulation increased the land was cleared and devoted to a
number of cultivated crops. The success which attended the grow-
ing of fruits has led to a steady development of that branch of agri-
culture, and at the present time practically the only agricultural
export consists of apples and strawberries. The development has
been most rapid in the Hood River Valley, as transportation facil-
ities m that part of the area have been adequate for many years. .
Irrigation is practiced over a large part of the soils in the Hood
River Valley, the waters being diverted from the forks of the Hood
River. In the White Salmon Valley only a small part of the land
in the extreme northern part of the area is irrigated, and, owing to
the difficulties of obtaining water for the larger part of this valley,
it is doubtful whether any considerable area will ever be irrigated.
Land values in both vaUeys are rather high.
The soils hi these valleys are either residual, glacial, or idhivial.
Sixteen types have been recognized and mapjjed.
In the residual group three types are recognized — the loam and
stony loam members of the Underwood series and Rough stony land.
The Underwood soils are by far the most extensive m the area and
HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 45
occupy the hill and mountain slopes. The larger part of their area
is forested. The Rough stony land is a nonagricultural type.
The glacial group includes the Rockford and Parkdale series.
The Rockford series is represented by two tyj^es — a stony clay loam,
includmg an eroded phase, and a clay. The loam is the only soil
of the Parkdale series in this area.
The Hood sOt loam is the only representative of its series, and
consists of a water-laid sedimentary soil derived from fine glacial
material. It is one of the most important soils of the area.
The alluvial soils comprise three series — the Wind River, Columbia ,
and Winans — and the miscellaneous type, Riverwash. Of the Wind
River series, the stony loam, gravelly sandy loam, sandy loam, loam,
and fine sandy loam members are mapped. These soils are of con-
siderable importance. The Columbia series is represented only by
the Columbia fine sandy loam and the Winans series by the grav-
elly sandy loam and the loam, neither of which are extensive.
Riverwash is an unimportant type, consistuig of sand and gravel
deposits.
o
mi n]!i n3i mif si a; if^
tl EDfi m?!
if C3 rD:
UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY
[Public Resolution — No. 9.]
JOINT RESOLUTION Amending public resolution numbered eight, Fifty-sLxth Congress, second
session, approved February twenty-third, nineteen hundred and one, "providing for the printing
annually of the report on field operations of the Division of Soils, Department of Agriculture."
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled, That public resolution numbered eight, Fifty-sixth Congress,
second session, approved February twenty- third , nineteen hundred and one, be
amended by striking out all after the resolving clause and inserting in lieu thereof
the following:
That there shall be printed ten thousand five hundred copies of the report on field
operations of the Division of Soils, Department of Agriculture, of which one thousand
live hundred copies shall be for the use of the Senate, three thousand copies for the
use of the House of Representatives, and six thousand copies for the use of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture: Provided, That in addition to the number of copies above pro-
.\'ided for there shall be printed as soon as the manuscript can be prepared, with the
necessary maps and illustrations to accompany it, a report on each area surveyed, in
the form of advance sheets, bound in paper covers, of which five hundred copies shall
be for the use of each Senator from the State, two thousand copies for the use of each
Representative for the congressional district or districts in which the survey is made,
and one thousand copies for the use of the Department of Agriculture.
Approved, March 14, 1904.
JOu July 1, 1901, the Division of Soils was reorganized as the Bureau of Soils.]
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