Soils of the eastern United States and their use-- XII. The Carrington loam

GIFT OF

Agrie. 'Pep'

Agric. Dept.

Issued August 8, 1911.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

BUREAU OF SOILS— CIRCULAR No. 37.
MILTON WHITNEY, Chief of Bureau.

SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND THEIR USE— XV.

THE CLYDE LOAM.

BY

JAY A. BONSTEEL,

Scientist in Soil Survey.

WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE,
1911.

BUREAU OF SOILS.

MILTON WHITNEY, Chief of Bureau.
ALBERT G. RICE, Chief Cleric.

SCIENTIFIC STAFF.

FRANK K. CAMERON, in charge of Physical and Chemical Investigations.

CURTIS F. MARBUT, in charge of Soil Survey.

OSWALD SCHREINER, in charge of Fertility Investigations.

SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND THEIR USE-XV.

THE CLYDE LOAM.

GEOGRAPHICAL, DISTRIBUTION.

The Clyde loam constitutes one of the most extensive soil types
which has thus far been encountered within the area of the Glacial
Lake and Terrace Soil Province. It has been encountered in 11
different soil survey areas located in four different States, and an
aggregate area of 561,068 acres has been mapped. It occurs to a
limited extent in western New York and in extensive areas in the
southern peninsula of, Michigan and in northern Indiana. Consid-
erable areas have also been encountered in some portions of North
Dakota. It is probable that the largest areas of the Clyde loam will
be encountered in Michigan and adjoining portions of Indiana and
Ohio as the soil survey work progresses in those States.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOIL, AND SUBSOIL.

The surface soil of the Clyde loam, to a depth in excess of 8 inches,
is a moderately friable to rather heavy and compact loam, usually
dark gray, brown, or black in color. Near the margins of the
smaller areas of this type there is not infrequently a considerable
mixture of sandy material, and in such instances the surface soil
is more friable and of a lighter gray color. In all of the larger areas
where it is developed and in the central portion of even the smaller
areas it is almost jet black and contains such large amounts of or-
ganic matter as to be almost muck. The depth of the surface soil
varies to a considerable degree, ranging from 8 or 10 inches near the
margin of the type to a depth of 18 or even 24 inches in the central
portions of large areas or in depressed locations occurring in any
portion of the type. The subsoil of the Clyde loam is a gray, drab,
or blue clay, sometimes mottled with yellow or brown iron stains.
In almost all instances this subsoil is stiff, plastic, and impervious,
but in certain instances where it is underlain at no great depth either
by layers of peat or of marl the subsoil material may be somewhat
jointed and less impervious than the average of the type. The Clyde

100711°— Cir. 37 — 11

4 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

loam in the majority of the areas where it has been encountered is
stone free and even gravel is lacking. It is only in marginal areas
or in locations where the surface covering of typical Clyde loam is
somewhat thin that the stone or gravel of underlying glacial forma-
tions becomes evident. In Niagara County, N. Y., a phase of the
type, which constitutes only a thin covering over underlying glacial
material, is marked by stone and bowlders over its surface. This,
however, is unusual.

The Clyde loam is separable from the other members of the Clyde
series because of its different texture, being considerably more stiff
and plastic than the sandy loam and possessing a loamy covering
over the stiff clay which characterizes the Clyde clay loam or clay.

The Clyde loam differs from the members of the Fargo series,
also of glacial-lake origin, in that the latter are decidedly and dis-
tinctly calcareous in the subsoil in all areas where they have been
encountered, while the Clyde loam is not so characterized. It differs
from the soils of the Carrington series, in that the latter possess the
bowlder clay or till subsoil characteristic of that series.

Thus the Clyde loam and its associated soils of the series may be
readily distinguished from other dark-colored or black soils of the
general region.

SURFACE FEATURES AND DRAINAGE.

The Clyde loam invariably occupies level or depressed areas
which at some previous time have constituted the beds of glacial
lakes or of large swamps. Such areas occur not only within the re-
gions formerly occupied by extensions of Lakes Erie and Huron,
but also in the beds of many smaller extinct glacial lakes which
were ponded between the inequalities of the rolling to ridged glacial
drift. In all instances the mineral matter from adjoining uplands
was washed down and deposited in the form of fine or coarse sedi-
ments within these small or large lake beds, and as the water became
shallower, vegetation gained a foothold, giving rise to the incorpo-
ration of large amounts of mucky or peaty organic remains within
the zone which now constitutes the surface soil.

The surface of the Clyde loam is almost invariably level, although
in some areas low. rounded knolls and gentle swells within the gen-
eral area of the ancient lake beds may also be covered by the same
characteristic mucky, swamp deposits. In all cases the area of the
Clyde loam is distinctly depressed below the level of adjoining
glaciated uplands and glacial moraines or below the level of the
marginal glacial-lake deposits.

The altitude of the surface of the Clyde loam varies considerably
in the different areas where it has been encountered. Thus in
western New York, in Niagara County, the surface of the type ranges

THE CLYDE LOAM. 5

from 300 to 600 feet above sea level, while in the vicinity of Sagi-
naw Bay, in the southern peninsula of Michigan, the altitude of
the type ranges from approximately 600 feet to about 750 feet above
tide. Other separate areas in southern Michigan and northern Indi-
ana have about the same altitude, while the areas in North Dakota
are located at altitudes of approximately 1,500 feet above sea level.

In all cases the Clyde loam is either poorly drained at the present
time or was poorly drained prior to its occupation for agricultural
purposes. In practically all areas where it occurs the Clyde loam
constituted wooded swamps or grass-grown marshes in the days of
pioneer occupation, and in the majority of instances other, upland,
soils were first cleared and occupied. Later the obstructed natural
drainage was improved by the straightening of streams and the open-
ing of drainage ditches, and gradually increasing areas of this black
mucky soil have been brought under cultivation. The Clyde loam
in its undrained condition, wherever it is encountered, either consti-
tutes swamp not occupied for any agricultural purpose or else forms
pasture lands upon which cattle are grazed during the later months
of the summer, or where, in the treeless areas, swamp grass is cut for
hay. It has only been through the establishment of artificial drain-
age that this soil has been made available for agricultural use.

LIMITATIONS IN USE.

Owing to the swampy or semiswampy condition of the Clyde loam
prior to drainage, the surface soil is frequently found to be in a pud-
dled, compact state, sticky and impervious when wet and drying out
to a clodded or cementlike surface when dry. These effects of poor
drainage are emphasized where the finer-grained material is found
in lower lying areas that have been under cultivation for only a short
time. In such cases the soil proper is frequently stiff and sticky and
clods badly when plowed. The continued cultivation of the type,
however, and the long-continued operation of frost upon well-drained
areas tends to correct this condition and to make the Clyde loam an
extremely valuable soil for the production of the majority of the gen-
eral farm crops suited to the temperate climate within which the type
is most extensively developed. Because of the characteristics of tex-
ture, structure, and drainage already described, the Clyde loam is
better suited to the production of the small grains and of grass than
to the growing of corn or potatoes. These same characteristics of the
soil, together with its high moisture-holding capacity, constitute it
one of the best sugar-beet soils found within the eastern, humid
States. The appreciation of this crop adaptation of the Clyde loam
has led to its extensive utilization for sugar-beet growing in the
southern peninsula of Michigan, and many thousands of acres of
sugar beets are annually planted upon the type.

6 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

The same high organic matter content, fine texture, and high water-
holding capacity constitute the Clyde loam a type of soil well suited
to the production of cabbages, onions, and celery among the later
market-garden crops, and of late strawberries among the small
fruits. In former years peppermint was also grown to some extent
upon areas of the Clyde loam not fully drained.' More recently mar-
ket conditions have decreased the acreage of this crop grown in
the United States, and it is practically not grown upon the Clyde
loam at any point at the present time.

The somewhat imperfect drainage of the type has limited the acre-
age devoted to corn or potatoes, and has also prevented the extensive
production of winter grain crops except upon areas which have been
completely drained through the installation of open ditches supple-
mented with tile-drainage systems. On the other hand the spring
grain crops, particularly oats, produce excellent yields upon the Clyde
loam. The only difficulty experienced in the production of oats is the
tendency toward an excessive growth of straw, which results not in-
frequently in the lodging of the crop before it is ready for harvest.
Similarly timothy and other tame grasses grow luxuriantly upon the
Clyde loam, while upon all of the better drained areas clover is also
a very successful crop. It may be said in general that not only the
acreage which may be devoted to the production of tilled crops, of
grains, and of grass is limited by drainage, but also that the crop
yields obtained are largely limited by the same factor.

Geographically the Clyde loam is located throughout the greater
part of its extent within a region which possesses a growing season
sufficiently long for the production of all of the general farm crops
and sufficiently humid to supply an abundant amount of moisture
for crop use, particularly under the topographic and drainage con-
ditions existing on the type. In the northwestern areas where it oc-
curs, the growing season is somewhat shorter and corn is practically
eliminated as a profitable crop. In North Dakota artificial drainage
has not been installed to any extent upon the type, and the crop
yields of. the grains and of grass vary decidedly with the attendant
circumstances of precipitation during any given year. In years of
abundant rainfall yields are liable to be low, but in the drier years
the Clyde loam produces the maximum yield obtained from any soil
type in this drier portion of the country.

IMPROVEMENT IN SOIL EFFICIENCY.

The primary requirement of the Clyde loam is, in all cases, the
improvement of its drainage conditions. In the more eastern areas
where it occurs, a large percentage of the type is now under cultiva-
tion, but a great deal of artificial drainage was necessary before

THE CLYDE LOAM. 7

any extensive use of land of this character was possible. Practi-
cally all of the smaller streams flowing through the type have been
straightened and enlarged or else they have been supplemented by
the construction of large open ditches and canals, frequently many
miles in length. In certain areas where the Clyde loam has been
extensively mapped, ditches of various sizes are found along practi-
cally every section line, thus existing at intervals of a mile, and not
infrequently main drainage lines are also dug along the quarter
sections. Some of these drains are only sufficiently large to remove
the surface waters in seasons of excessive rainfall, while others pro-
vide for both surface and subsoil drainage. In the latter instances
tile-drainage systems, constructed to relieve the marshy conditions
of adjoining farms, have their outlet into these open ditches at
varying depths below the surface.

The construction of these extensive drainage systems has rendered
possible the agricultural occupation of the type, but even with the
installation of these improvements, some of the most important crops
are seriously injured during seasons of excessive rainfall, while the
surface soil is not infrequently baked and clodded through rapid
surface evaporation during periods of drought.

Complete drainage involves a considerable expenditure of money
for the construction of open ditches and for the laying of tile. In
the large areas of the Clyde loam, which are frequently encoun-
tered, such improvements will be practically impossible if undertaken
by the individual farmer. As a consequence, State laws have been
enacted in many States where the type is developed which make
drainage a public work, under the direct charge and supervision of
county drainage commissioners, appointed by the local county of-
ficers. Under these laws the formation of drainage districts, to in-
clude considerable areas of land, is made possible and the cost of the
installation of this improvement is equably assessed against the land
improved in due proportion to the benefits derived. Through the
formation of such districts much larger areas may be drained than
would otherwise be possible, and the assessment cost against large
areas almost invariably results in a decided reduction in the cost to
the individual farmer.

Of course, the cost of the installation of any particular drainage
system varies decidedly in the different districts which have been or-
ganized. The length and size of the required outlets will vary. The
frequency with which these outlets must be constructed and the size
and frequency of the tile lines all vary, even within the same drainage
district, giving rise to decided differences in cost for the individual
farm or land owner. In general, it may be said, however, that land
of this character may be drained at a cost ranging from $12 to $25 an
acre. Frequently the land itself before drainage had a valuation of

8 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

not more than $5 or $10 an acre for pasturage purposes and for the
small amount of firewood or timber which might be furnished from
the swamp forests. When thoroughly drained and brought under
cultivation, even with the general farm crops, the Clyde loam is
valued at prices ranging from $35 to $100 an acre or even more.
These prices are easily exceeded by such areas of the type as are
available for the production of the more intensively tilled farm crops,
like sugar beets, cabbages, onions, celery, or straAvberries. Thus a
considerable expenditure for the perfection of drainage systems is
justified over the greater proportion of the territory occupied by the
Clyde loam.

In the majority of the areas where the Clyde loam is found, rational
crop-rotation systems have already been adopted, and in all of the
more eastern areas considerable attention is paid to the manuring and
fertilizing of the general and special crops produced upon the type.
In the North Dakota areas, however, grain growing predominates,
and the short growing season in that locality renders the introduction
of a hoed crop into the rotation decidedly difficult. It would seem
desirable to produce the more hardy varieties of corn in alternation
with the grain crops and to seed the land down to timothy and alsike
clover, even in the region where the Clyde loam is chiefly valued as a
spring-wheat soil.

The surface soil of the Clyde loam is usually abundantly supplied
with organic matter through the processes of its original formation.
In the stiffer and more clayey areas, however, it is frequently desir-
able to apply the coarser and more strawy portions of the stable ma-
nure produced upon the farm to the Clyde loam, largely for the pur-
pose of loosening the heavy loam surface soil and promoting internal
drainage and aeration. At the same time the physical structure of
the soil is decidedly improved and its maintenance in good tilth is
made easier.

LIMITATIONS UPON SPECIAL CROPS.

Because of its rather fine texture and of its great moisture-
holding capacity, due to texture and high organic-matter content, the
Clyde loam is not suited to the production of any early truck crops
in any of the localities where it occurs. The same characteristics,
however, render the soil particularly favorable to the production of
sugar beets and later market garden and truck crops, such as cab-
bages, onions, celery, and late strawberries. With the exception
of sugar beets the crops enumerated are grown only to a limited
extent, but wherever transportation facilities and markets are avail-
able each one of these crops might well be extended in acreage.
Cabbages in particular are well suited to a soil of this class, produc-
ing large yields with solid heads, as well suited to storage as

THE CLYDE LOAM. 9

to immediate marketing. The culture of the crop is little more dif-
ficult than that needed in the production of corn and the labor not as
exacting as that required in the production of sugar beets. It is not
probable that any large area of onions or of celery would be advisable
upon the individual farm where the Clyde loam is developed, since
muck and peat soils are also found extensively in the same general
regions, and the muck soils in particular are somewhat better
adapted to the production of these crops. Both onions and celery,
however, may be produced with considerable profit upon the Clyde
loam. The production of late strawberries suited to the market de-
mands, after the southern market berries have been exhausted and
even after the local berries from better drained upland soils have
passed out of the market, might well be developed upon those areas
of the Clyde loam accessible to transportation facilities to the larger
northern cities. A considerable demand for these late berries exists
and the prices paid are only less than those paid for the extra early
berries of the first part of the season.

Wherever any of these special crops are to be produced upon the
Clyde loam the greatest care should be taken in the thorough drain-
age of the fields. Such extra care is justified by the high acreage
value of the crops to be grown. Similarly, the careful preparation
of the land, including the thorough fining of the surface soil and
the incorporation of stable manures, will be thoroughly justified and
recompensed.

EXTENT OF OCCUPATION.

The extent of occupation of the Clyde loam varies considerably
in the different localities where it occurs. In the more eastern dis-
tricts from 50 to 80 per cent of the type has been cleared, drained,
and brought under cultivation. In the more western regions a con-
siderable proportion of the type is occupied for grain production dur-
ing the years of moderate or deficient rainfall, while in years of exces-
sive precipitation only a small proportion of the type is utilized for
the growing of any crop. The establishment of drainage in such
areas would render possible the occupation of all of the areas of the
Clyde loam during all seasons, a condition which is impossible until
the poor natural drainage has been supplemented by open ditches,
and, in some cases, by the installation of tile. In all areas where it
occurs, the occupation of the remainder of the type can be made
possible only by careful attention to thorough drainage. In the
more eastern areas even those portions of the type not used for grain,
grass, or tilled-crop production are frequently utilized for pasturage
or the cutting of wild hay. Small areas still remain forested or in a
swampy condition.

10 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

There is an excellent opportunity for the more intensive occupa-
tion of the Clyde loam over a considerable proportion of its area.
It is so well suited to the production of quite a number of special
crops that increasing demand for these crops will naturally result
in their increased production to the exclusion of the spring grains
and grass now extensively grown upon the type. It is probable that
increased occupation of the Clyde loam will take this direction of
more intensive cultivation.

CROP ADAPTATIONS.

General crops. — In the case of the Clyde loam, a larger acreage of
the type is devoted to the production of grass for the cutting of hay
than to any other crop. The type is not only well suited to produce
large yields, but the management of the soil and of the general farm-
ing system in the areas where it occurs has brought about a crop rota-
tion usually consisting of one year devoted to the production of a hoed
crop, one or two years devoted to small grain growing, to be succeeded
by two, three, or even five years of grass production in the course
of the rotation. Because of the adoption of such long-term rotations,
in which the land is frequently occupied during half of the entire
period by the stand of grass, the acreage of this crop far exceeds that
devoted either to the small grains or to the hoed crops. The yields
of hay vary considerably in the different areas where the Clyde loam
has been encountered. In general, in southern Michigan, northern
Indiana, and western Xew York the yields of hay range from 1£ to
2 or even 2| tons per acre. The average yields for the Clyde loam in
these locations may be confidently stated at H tons per acre or
greater, dependent somewhat upon seasonal variations in the rainfall.
Mixed timothy and clover constitute the principal acreage, although
upon the better drained areas clover, seeded alone, constitutes an im-
portant crop, both for the production of hay and, in central Michi-
gan, for the production of clover seed. In North Dakota the area
devoted to the production of the tame grasses is so limited as to be
almost negligible. However, considerable areas of wild grasses are
cut, giving the high average yield of 1| to If tons per acre. Thus,
the Clyde loam is an admirable soil for the production of the
grasses. The alsike clover and the medium red clover are used to a
considerable extent both in mixed and pure seeding. It has been
found that the alsike clover will make an excellent growth even where
drainage has not been thoroughly established, while the medium red
clover is somewhat more critical and requires good to perfect drain-
age to produce its maximum yields.

Among the small grains, spring wheat is the most important, al-
though in some areas winter wheat is also grown. The acreage de-
voted to this crop in the more eastern States is diminishing and the

THE CLYDE LOAM. 11

yields are not particularly high. Upon the Clyde loam they range
from 10 or 12 bushels per acre to 20 bushels or more. The average,
however, is not much above 15 bushels per acre for this type. This
is., nowever, in excess of the yields secured upon many of the upland
soils in the same general region. In the more western areas, where
spring wheat is exclusively grown, large acreages are seeded upon
the type whenever the moisture conditions are such that it can be
prepared and seeded. In seasons of normal or somewhat deficient
rainfall the yields of spring wheat in North Dakota upon the Clyde
loam range from 12 to 18 bushels per acre, with a general average in
the vicinity of 13 bushels. In wet years the type is either not seeded
to wheat or the crop is liable to be a partial or complete failure
owing to the lack of drainage.

Next to wheat, oats constitute the most important grain crop, con-
siderably exceeding the acreage planted to corn on the Clyde loam.
Oats are even better suited to this type than either winter or spring
wheat, and the yields are high in the different areas where the crop
is grown. In Michigan the yields range from 35 to 60 bushels per
acre, while the general average through a long period of time may be
stated at 40 bushels per acre, or somewhat greater. Consequently
the oat crop is, to a considerable degree, displacing wheat as the
small grain for the Clyde loam. Aside from a tendency toward
excessive growth of straw, already noted, the Clyde loam constitutes
an almost ideal soil for oat production.

In all of the more eastern areas where the Clyde loam is developed
corn constitutes the most extensive intertilled crop produced upon it.
The yields are fair to good, ranging from 25 to 45 bushels per acre,
with a general average in the vicinity of 35 bushels. The acreage
planted to corn upon the Clyde loam in North Dakota is insignificant,
although the yields are fair, considering the climatic disadvantages,
the rather intractable nature of the surface soil, and its almost total
lack of drainage. The yields reported upon the small acreage planted
are in the vicinity of 25 bushels to the acre.

Sugar beets. — The Clyde loam is the most important sugar-beet
soil in the eastern areas where the crop is produced. The importance
of the production of sugar beets in the various portions of the United
States where climatic conditions are favorable to the growing of this
crop caused a somewhat extensive investigation of the different soils
suitable for sugar-beet production, particularly in the Eastern States.
This study was undertaken by the Bureau of Soils principally during
the summer of 1904, and so1! surveys were made in the southern
peninsula of Michigan, which included the areas where the develop-
ment of the crop had attained its greatest extent. Sugar beets are
grown upon quite a wide variety of soils, all of them somewhat simi-
lar in their principal characteristics. From the observations made of

12 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

field conditions in the districts where sugar beets were thus exten-
sively grown, it became evident that the physical condition of the
soils to be devoted to the crop must be such as to maintain a consid-
erable supply of moisture throughout the growing season, while at the
same time the soil should be sufficiently loose and porous to allow
easy penetration of the roots and the development of a smooth even
beet of uniform size. Variations in the character of the soil also pro-
duced a considerable effect upon the percentage of sugar in the beets
and upon the index of purity. The qualifications of a good sugar-
beet soil are best met by the Clyde loam among all the soils of any
large extent which are found in the Eastern States, although more
limited areas of other related soil types are also capable of profitable
development for sugar-beet growing. In addition to the Clyde loam,
the Clyde fine sandy loam and the Clyde clay, which are associated
with it in all of the eastern areas, are fairly well suited to sugar-
beet production, though the yields upon the former are not so heavy
as upon the loam, and the stiff nature of the surface soil of the Clyde
clay does not favor the intensive tillage required for the production
of the crop nor the easy development of large-sized and smooth beets.
Sugar beets are almost invariably planted upon land which was
in sod the previous year. They thus take about the same place in
the crop rotation as that occupied in other areas by corn, and not
infrequently displace a part of the corn acreage where sugar beets
are grown. The land is prepared in about the same manner as for
the corn crop, and no special preparation or fertilization is ordi-
narily employed. The beets are seeded upon ridges through the use
of a special drill, and after the young beets have made a growth of
several inches in height it is necessary to go through the crop with
a hoe. trimming out the beets to a stand, and at the same time care-
fully removing grass and weeds from the row. Throughout the
season the beets require constant and careful tillage, a considerable
part of which must be performed by hand labor, although the ordi-
nary cultivator used for tilling the corn crop is used for the inter-
row tillage. A considerable amount of hand labor is also required
at harvest time, thus giving rise to a relatively high labor charge per
acre in the production of the crop. In fact, sugar beets would be
more extensively grown in the majority of the eastern communities
where market is available, except for the large amount of labor
required and the high cost of their production.

The yields secured are extremely variable, dependent somewhat
upon the season, somewhat upon the proper drainage of the soil,
and to a considerable degree upon the care which is taken of the
crop during the growing period. The yields upon the Clyde loam
range from 5 to 15 or 18 tons per acre, being considerably higher
than upon the majority of other soils in the same general region,

THE CLYDE LOAM. 13

with the possible exception of the Clyde fine sandy loam and the
Clyde clay. In general the average yield per acre on the Clyde
loam through a period of years may be stated at 7 to 10 tons an acre.
There is little variation in the percentage of sugar, or in the index
of purity between the beets grown upon the different members of
the Clyde series. In general it may be stated that the larger and
heavier the beet the smaller the percentage of sugar content, while
the production of beets upon extremely mucky soils also tends to
decrease the purity of the juice.

Many thousands of acres of sugar beets are annually grown upon
the Clyde loam in the southern peninsula of Michigan, and there is
a strong tendency to increase this acreage in all localities where an
adequate supply of labor for the care of the crop can be obtained.

Special crops. — Beans are grown to some extent as an intertilled
crop, preceding either wheat or oats, in both Michigan and Indiana.
The yields are good, ranging from 18 to 25 bushels per acre, with
an average yield of 20 bushels. Rye, barley, and buckwheat are also
produced to a limited extent, giving fair yields.

In some localities there are also small acreages planted to cabbage
or celery, the former crop yielding from 8 to 15 tons per acre, with
an average of about 12 tons. The quality of the cabbage produced
upon the Clyde loam is reported to be excellent. Only a small area
of either onions, peppermint, or strawberries is now produced upon
the type, although it is well suited to the growing of each of these
crops when economic conditions and transportation are favorable.

FARM EQUIPMENT.

The farm equipment upon the Clyde loam does not differ materially
from the equipment upon other soils in the same general regions.
It may be said that larger teams and heavier tools are required for
the perfect tillage of this soil than upon any others of similar or
lighter textures. The somewhat plastic and dense character of both
the surface soil and the subsoil requires deep plowing and thorough
subsequent tillage in order to maintain the surface soil in mellow,
friable condition. Since the Clyde loam is practically stone free in
the majority of areas where it occurs the use of disk plows and disk
harrows is easily possible. The employment of such machinery
would obviate the tendency toward the forming of a plow sole or
" hardpan " at the normal depth of plowing, a difficulty sometimes
encountered in the use of the ordinary turning plow.

The dominance of grass, oats, and corn, as the principal crops upon
the Clyde loam led to the introduction of dairying as an important
adjunct to crop production in the early days of the occupation of
this type. In all of the more eastern areas the excellent pasturage
afforded, the heavy cutting of hay, the large yield of oats, and the

14 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

satisfactory yield of corn, all led the pioneer farmers, who were
usually predisposed to dairying from their experiences in their former
locations, to adopt this form of crop disposal. The dairy farms upon
the Clyde loam, particularly in Michigan and Indiana, are appar-
ently among the most profitable and best maintained farms in the
region. Upon these dairy farms a considerable amount of stable
manure is annually returned to the fields and crop yields are main-
tained at or above the average for the general locality. The produc-
tion of wheat has largely been superseded by the production of corn
and oats upon the majority of dairy farms. The building equipment
is somewhat more elaborate because of the necessity for housing the
stock and the roughage for feeding purposes upon dairy farms than
upon the general crop farms found upon the Clyde loam.

SUMMARY.

The Clyde loam is an extensive and important general-purpose and
special-crop soil of the Glacial Lake and Terrace Province.

It is most widely developed in the southern peninsula of Michigan
and in northern Indiana, though important areas are found in west-
ern New York and in North Dakota.

The Clyde loam has been formed through the redeposition of fine-
grained glacial materials in the beds of extinct glacial lakes and
particularly in depressed areas where natural drainage conditions
were very poor and where partially decomposed vegetable matter
accumulated abundantly.

The surface soil of the Clyde loam is a dark-gray, brown, or black,
somewhat mucky loam for a depth ranging from 8 to 24 inches and
averaging about 12 inches over the entire extent of the type. The
subsoil is a gray, drab, or blue clay loam, or clay, stiff and impervious.

In its natural condition the Clyde loam occupied extensive swampy
and marshy areas found in low-lying and depressed localities. A
part of the type was timbered and a part covered by swamp grasses
and other low-growing vegetation.

The occupation of the Clyde loam for agricultural purposes has
only been made possible through the installation of artificial drainage
systems over practically all of the type which is now under cultiva-
tion. Streams have been straightened, large main and lateral canals
have been dug, and a large amount of tile underdrainage has been
installed for the improvement of the drainage of the type and its
reclamation for agricultural purposes.

In its natural swampy condition, the Clyde loam was held at a
value of $5 to $10 an acre. The cost of drainage has ranged from
$12 to $25 an acre, and the valuation of the drained land ranges
from $35 to $100 an acre for the production of general farm crops
and even higher for the production of special crops. The drainage
of the type has thus been fully justified by its increase in value.

THE CLYDE LOAM. 15

Grass occupies the most extensive acreage of any crop grown upon
the Clyde loam. The yields are high.

Both winter and spring wheat are commonly grown, with medium
to low yields per acre. In all of the eastern areas the area devoted
to wheat is decreasing.

Oats constitute an important small-grain crop upon the Clyde
loam, giving an average yield in excess of 40 bushels per acre.

Corn is extensively produced in the lower latitudes, giving average
yields of about 35 bushels per acre, with many instances of higher
yield.

Sugar beets constitute the principal special crop grown on the
Clyde loam, and this type is probably the best suited to the produc-
tion of sugar beets of any soil to be found in the eastern States,
within the climatic zone suited to beet production. The yields per
acre are good and the percentage of sugar content and of purity high.

Beans, rye, and buckwheat constitute minor crops of local im-
portance only.

The Clyde loam is also suited to the production of cabbages,
onions, celery, and late strawberries, of which the first crop is the
most important. Peppermint was formerly grown to some extent
upon the type in Michigan.

The Clyde loam has been reclaimed and occupied for agricultural
purposes to the extent of probably 80 per cent of its total area in all
of the eastern localities where it is found, and the remainder of the
type is also used for pasturage, the cutting of wild hay, and, to a
very minor extent, for the firewood and timber growing within the
swamps.

In North Dakota little effort has been made to perfect the drain-
age of the type, and the amount of the Clyde loam devoted to crop
production varies decidedly with seasonal variations in rainfall; in
seasons of scant precipitation practically all of its area is devoted
to the production of spring wheat, with an average yield of about
13 bushels per acre, while in a season of excessive precipitation
little of the type is sowed to wheat or else the crop yields are de-
cidedly low.

For its proper tillage the Clyde loam requires heavy teams and
improved machinery.

Owing to the special adaptation of the type to the production of
grass, oats, and corn, a considerable proportion of it is occupied by a
very successful dairy industry.

Approved.

JAMES WILSON,

Secretary of Agriculture.

WASHINGTON, D. C., June 17, 1911.

APPENDIX.

The following table shows the extent of the Clyde loam in the areas surveyed
to this time.

In the first column is stated the particular survey in which the soil was
encountered; in the second column, its extent of development in acres; and in
the third column the volume of the Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils in
which the report upon the area may be found. Those desiring a detailed
description of the soil and of the general conditions which surround it in any
particular area may consult these volumes in almost any public library.

Areas of the Clyde loam encountered in the noil surreji.

Survey.

Area of
soil.

Yea of
publica-
tion,
Field
Op-ra-
tions.

Indiana:
Allen County

Acres.

12,800

1908

Newton County

960

Michigan:
Allegan County >. .

12.460

1901

Alma area . '

59, 776

1904

Owosso area

71.744

1904

Saginawarea..

' 242,4%

1904

New York:
Livingston County. ,

7,488

1908

Montgomery County

3,200

1908

Niagara County . . .

55,360

1906

North Dakota:
Cando area

70, 016

1904

Carrington area

24.768

1905

16

Mapped as Allegan black clay.

o

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