HomeMy WebLinkAboutSoil Survey of L I Area 1904U. S. D~EPARTM'ENT OF AGRICULTURE,
l~3.1J 0I~' 80II,~--3IlLT0lq' WItlTiqII¥, Ohiof.
SOIL SUI{1 EY (1 THE LONG ISLAND AREA,
NEW YORK.
BY
,lAY A. BOIqSTiE~IBL ~r~ I>AIgTY.
[Adv~ce Sheots--Flel~l 0poratl,ons of ~1~ B~trea~ of Soils, 1908,]
CONTENTS,
I I~I, USTRATIONS.
S0II, SUI{\zEY (tiv I llk LONG ISI,:\ND AI~,kA, NIi~W YORK.
By JAY A. BONSTEEL and PARTY.
The am[ surveyed, covm's tim western two-thirds of Long Isl~md
and comprises a hind surface ef 545 .sqmu'e miles. The soils are
plotted on tt bttse lnl;p made up ol! United Stt[tes Geological Survey
sheets ~ls follows: Ihu'ts of the l~}ttterson, Ihn'lem~ and Staten Island
sheets mtd ~fll of the lm~d sm'face of the Brooklyn, Itempstead, Oyster
Bay, B~[bylon, Norl;hporl;, Fire Island, and Sehmket; shee[s. The
eastern boundary of thc are}[ passes north and south across the island~
Il l ltllc casl; of Patehogue on the 8outh coast Itnd of Port Jefferson on
the north. [File Athmtic Ocean~ bordered by I1 series of narrow sand
beaches, within which lie shallow bays and wide nrcas of marsh 1,'rods,
forms thc southern [}otmdttry o~ the ~[rca, while the Eas~; Rivet' and
Long' Island Sound form the nm'Lhern boundary. The nm'ih shores
F[ELI) OP]{I~ATIOI, IS OF THE BUI{]~]AU OF SOILS~ 1903.
are more abrupt thtm the south, aud there are comparatively few
marsh areas, the enltivated fields extending often to steep cliffs which
separate then} ~l'OlU thc water boundary.
Both the north aud south shores of thc ishmd are very umeh cut by
b~ys trod micor estuaries.
The early history of Long Ishmd, ineludlng its discovery by the
Dtttclb its settlmueut l~y hofl~ the Dntch and the English, the e0ntlie~-
lng claims o~ the two races, aed the lhml cxtinguishmcnt of the Dutch
claim, is well kuown. Thc l)utch occupation of Long lshmd began
witl~ t; single ftmu in 1055. The Dutch popnlatiou on tim wes[eru
end ot~ the ishmd haql not increased snfficlenfly for the establishment
of local govermnen[s un~il 1880. The first Dutch farms, or boweries~
were loc}[[ed io Kings Couoty, wiflfin tim preseet limits ef Brooklyn,
New Utrecht, Fla~hush~ aed (~mvesend. In the meantime the Eng-
lish Government had granted Loug Island to the E~[rl of StMing, hnd
his agen~ am'angcd for the colouizatlon of the easteru cud of tim
island. The se[tiers began to arrive iu 1(140. The English colonists
did not nlerely secupe individual grants of ffmn land, like the Dntch,
hu~ camo over from Commc~icnt in orgaelzed bodies and occupied
township grants. These toweships, so far as govermnent was con-
corned, were not only independent of England aed Cmmcc[icut, but
also practic~tlly of each other. Their form of government was partly
clerical, hn[ ehietly democratic. Gradually the English settled as ft;r
westward as the towns o~ Gravesend, Newtown, FlushinE~ ,Iamaictb
and Hempstead. By the tm[~y of i¢S0, defining the limits between
~ew Englaed and New Amsterdam, the present terrikory of Suffolk
County became definitely English and the remainder of the island was
reco~elzed as Dutch. L~tter Long Islaod suffered the stune changes
of ownership as the rmmdnder of New Amsterdam. Iu 1083 the
colony of ~ew York was divided into couutles, of which three--Kings,
Queens, and Suffolk~constituted the entire area of Loeg Island. It
was not until the iecorporatlon of the Greater New York that the
portion of Queees Cotmty outside thc city limits wns ereeted into
Nassau (Jotmty.
Under English colenial rule large tracts of the territory of Loeg
Ishmd were granted to iedivkhmls sad to communitics, although on
the ettstere end of the island inneh smaller tracts wore scoured frolll
tho agents of Lord Stirhng and his successors and hy tho purchase ef
the smuo lands from the lodiau oeeupaots. Tho majority of tim early
settlemeets were made near tide water because of the aeeessibility of
such positions. Tho ieterlor portioes of the necks along tho northern
shore were cleared and tilled or held ie pasturage, while the steep-
sided margins were left ie forest. The great Hempstead plain was
fotmd in a prairie eondltion, and was at Ih'st utilized []~. c, onmlon for
viduals. PLcr~s o~ tho wooded inCm'ior were cleared mm'ely t'er tho
Cimbor produces, m~d nmey el Cheso areas have booe cletwcd agMn aed
again of sncccodieE growths o[ Chnber~ alChottgh some o~ them have
ulCi]mtt:o]y become agrimtlhmtl hind. Tklo mills I'or I;he grinding
grain were OLLvly estal)lisht~d a~ sttitaldo poinls along (he shore~ and
smaller streams of the ishmd. Many o~ the towns owoed pot'~ions of
ran~a fo the scott~ or consCable mnpowered hint Lo mnploy the services
of the inhabiLants for cu~gieff I)rttsh or [)ttshes from giro common pas-
Cure hind. In che early days grain crops, c~;Ctle, sheep, dairy prod-
nets, llrewood, and timbre' eoeati~uted ~he chi(ff farm products of Long
Island. Tho declieo of this general farmieg' en Long lshmd,with tho
change to ]mtrko~-garden and Crttcking conditions, is bes~ shown by che
rapid change in the amount of milk shipments from Long [slaed Co
New York City. In 1885 Long Ishmd fttpolslmd k1,(1(;[,260 gall(ms
milk aed cream to Nmv York City; io 18~0, :1,S8(1,570 gallons; ie
503,800 gallons; ~t]td in :[89~), 3,890 galloes, since which time ti~e sup-
ply has senk I;o ~; point so mnall ~LS eot to bo reported by the raih'oad
authorities. At the ln'esmLt time the greotm' parc el? I:he island is held
in severalty hy priwtte oweel's. Thc obi c(mmmes have disappeared,
and on giro wesiorn third of ~he island oeavly every level acre not
pied for building pm:poses, o]' held in hu'ge couot*2 eskates~ is under
inCensive cultivatimx to market gaL'dinting ami I;]'uckiog creps, tn
eastel'n pLtrl; of the isla.d IlalTOW Stl'i~)s lllollg each shore ~t]'o under
CLtltivatio% and :c few scattm'cd setthmmnts occupy positions ie Lhe
cenCL'al portion. Wi~h these exceptions~ aod that of the northeasteve
portion of Suffolk Oount3r, which lies outside t}m Ii]nits of the present
survey, the greater p}u't of L}mt termly consists of tt stmdy waste occu-
pied by set'rrb oak and pitch pine. So far tls agl'icultttvo is concerned
it is as strictly a desert country as macy parts of the avld West. Loose
sand is drifted from phtcc to place with every wind. Exteesivc llres
frequently sweep through tho scrul)by forest and ooly the most rugged
vegetation can meintain itself. Thc soil i~self is not inherently unpro-
ductive, for in places where thc water table is only a few feet below
t:hc surhtce, and at tho scattered points where a little irrigation is
practiced, ordinttl'y agvicuI~uval opevtttions at'(~ successfully carrlcd on
even upon the most ~andy hind. In this way it is demonstrated
the 4 feet o~ ordieary rainhdl reaching Chis pertioe e~ Long Ishmd
does not, oo accouet of the sandy nature of thc htnd~ fm'nlsh
mois[m'c for thc needs of g'rowing crops. It is lbo chief cause of thc
unoceupled condition of nearly [wo4hirds of Suffolk Cotlel;y, ged eall
only bc remedied by irrig'atkm. Thc dcmoestvation of thc possibilities
oS irrigation within this area should constitute tho next most important
step in the agNcaltural history o~ tho island.
Thc entire ~u'ca of ,.ho ,shred seem'es good t. raa~port~tti(m facilities
from tho Long Island Railroad, which was cons,ratted l¥om Brooklyn
to Greenport in 1844, ahmg tho sonth shore to M(mtauk Point, and ia
lnaay bralmhes to north shore points since that day.
Thc following titbit, compiled from records of the Weather Bareaa,
shows the rainfall trod tempera,are for [hree sta[ion~ ia differeng parts
of tim area surveyed:
Tho snlall rainfall in June is a marked fca,are in all thrce stations,
as is also tho heavy prccipitatioa ix, Jnly.
l?ragmcntary records at; Breatwood, in thc central portion of ghc
is'and, indicate a meat tcmporatm'c somewhat below tAntt of tho coast
llne stations and tt precipitation somewhat above that; along shore.
The absence of records in I£ings and ~Nassan counties prevents tho
formation of aay general coaclasions in regard to variations in clinatto
from place t.o place on Long ishmd, it is generally stated, however,
that the season is aboat one week earlier in spring on thc plains border-
lng' the south shore than in tho mot(3 hilly co,miry along' thc north
shore.
Tim annnal mean isotherms show that Loag Ishmd exper'carles a
tcmperatnro considerably milder than tim; of thc ream,haler o~ Now
York State, and it is noticeable ~;hat thc extremes between winter and
summer temperatures are less than on iht mainhmd. Tiffs should be
ascribed to the equalizing inllucncc o[ its sligh; topographic relief and
of the sltrrouading water.
SOIL SIII{VJ~Y OF LONG ISLAhrD AI{J~A~ ~NEV~ YORK. 9
Thc precipitation charts indiet~tc tha~ Long Isbmd receives as great
an mmnal preeipi[ufion ~s any portion of fl~e State, with the excep-
tion ot~ a snn[ll area in tim Adiroudacks. Thc snowfall data indicate
thc snndles[ hdl of unmelted snow on Long Island of any region iu
New York.
I~ bcconics evident ag once ~hu[ fin: nonproductive stuke of neiu'Iy
onc-I;hlr([ o1~ Long Island is no~ due to abnornlal cllnmfi~ conditions.
In :lh~ct, thc climate of Long Island is better suited to agricultural put-
shits than tha¢ of the rcmaiuder of tho State. Thc average prec[pl-
ration amounts to ubout 4: fcc[ of water: an alnonnt consklcrcd ttdequtt[c
for thc production of crops nndcv all ordinary conditions.
Thc tendency to drought in Jttne is clearly showo by thc 5Veaflmr
Bnreau records.
The great controlling factor which renders so uauly acres of land in
thc ceutra[ portion of Long Ishmd mtproduc~ivo is the cxmmmly sandy
m~turc of tim most widasprcad soil types~ and the t~ddifional fac[ that
even the lllOl'C retentive soils two extremely shallow, and arc undorhdn
to grea~ dcpflm by course, porto% mn'etcufivc beds of sand and gravel.
Noflfing but systematic irt'igation can counteract these charaetm'isfics
snd render the lm~d permanently and continuously productive. Wifl~-
ou~ tim aid nf irrigatinn l;hc lunrc sandy soils of eenfrsl Long lshmd
can not bceonm of uny grca[ agrieulturul value.
Long Island rcsembles in form a great fish, with ~hc head resting
near thc mtthdtmd o1~ New Jersey mid thc body extending eastward
from 5 to S5 ndles sottfl~ of tim Commcficng shore, thc tail extremities
bclng formed by Orient Poin¢ on the uorth and Mon~auk Poln[ on
thc south. There is a hold range of hills cxtmtding from Fort Ham-
ilton pus[ Rosslyn~ Hnntington, Port Jetrcrson, trod Grccnport~ whiclh
with thc pluteau areus lying aloeg thc north shore, forms thc main
body of thc isltmd. A second range separates from this one near
l{osslyn and graduully diverges sonthward to its tcrmintttion near
Montauk Point. Included be[ween tim two ranges is a nearly level
trac~ of cotm[ry, forming a gently southwttrd-sloping plain. It rises
to an elevation of about 240 feet near Huntington trod abuts wi~h u
sharp change of slope agaius~ thc nm'~hcrn hill hinge. It descends
from this boundary wi~h a slope of about 10 feet per mile to thc sough-
ern hills trod coalesces through thc gaps in tiffs range with tim more
extensive phdns which constitute all of the island south of thc hill
country. Thus thc physiographic features of the ishmd arc simple.
There arc no large streams on Long Island. The lakes arelimited to
a few large ponds and a nmltitude of small ones. On the oflmr hand,
thc shore linc is complex. Thc northwestern shore aloug thc Sonnd is
indented hy deep tide-water harbin's cxmnded southw~u'd into thc land
mass by gorgelike strcamways~ now occuph'~d ouly by very feeble
streams. Ens[ of Moon[ Sinai Harbor the sound shore is smooth or
gently em'ring, with no lnrge indentt~tions.
Ca I;hc westeru end o17 the ial}md bhe ohker Innd l'tu'lns t'~mmin; on
Chc cus[cru [ho activity o[ the wt~vcs forlllcd h~ t]m s(mltd ]ins i~roded
buck thc shore nad destroyed former incqunli[ics.
The south shore is cotirely different. Hero the lam([ Itlnss siuks
gently to thc water's edge and cxtcnds out to form :[ pul*t {~l~ tim sttl)-
merged Athmtie shelf. Thc hettvy StOl'IllS el tile cA}as[ IllOV(3 hmdward
formed into breakers and surf by thc shallowing o1~ the water. This
occurs Itt a varying' distance from the shore line~ and ~ series el' Iow
barrier benches has been boilt by combined wuvo ami wind aegion.
Thc Great South Bay aud Hcmpstcad and ,lnmttic}t b~tys all owe their
origin [o thisphcl~emcnou. The s[ill-watcr areas bctwecu thc benches
and thc mainland serve ns cah:hmcn[ hasins ~or w~[[cr-hol'nC sediment,
and ~he cx[cnsive areas of lido marsh nlollg tile solt[h shore are the
resttl¢. In a somewhat similar way btu's have bccu formed across
ulonths of several of thc north-shore htll'[IOl'S~ nmi mua[l mursh
In[ye been Perumd n[ [he hmdward apex of ghe triangle which consti-
tutes roughly the form ol~ these i)ays.
With the exeepthm o[ ~[ few snmll etttcrops of cryst*dline roek~
occurriug in the northwestern par[ of Quceus Borough, l~ong Island
is mnde up ()[ mmousolidated clay, loam, sand, grtuvel, }t]~(l bowlders.
The okies[ o[ these unconsolidated mnteriuls are Ibc vnrious-coku:ed
plastic clnys which oeettsionally reach the surfnce in t;}m northern purr
o~ the islund. The character of included orgnnie remains marks the
ehtys as helenging to ~}m Cretaceous period. The clay deposits form
tim basttl framework upou which latin' luateria]s were laid dowu, they
markedly iotluenee the clrcula[ion el underground wa~er~ and ~hey
furnish mnCerial for [he limited ~nanufachtre of clay products. Aside
from [heir effects on the circulation of undergrouod waters they do
no~ inllucnce the llgriculture of ~he eounh'y.
Succeeding these clays are certain beds o~ gravel~ saud, and lotm~,
which may or may uog he of age greater ghnn Pleistocene. Limiged
areas of gravel north of Plainview ~m'nish giro mosg noticeable sttr-
face developmen[ of such materials. The remainiug mass o~ the
island consists of various sands~ gravels~ and loams, which have been
deposited ei[her through the dire(:[ agency oP glncial ice or in modi-
fied form as stra[ified drift and ou~wash plains from the waters druin-
ing from or pmmded by ;he ice sheets.
In commou with all of norflmastern North America, the nor;hem
par~ of [he region now occupied by Long island wns invnded in
rcccu~ geological lime by iL grca[ continental glacier moviug outward
~rom certain centers of dispersiou. This sheet of ice, many hm~dreds
SOIL SURVEY OF LONG ISLAND AREA, I~F~W YORK.
and even thousands of foo6 in thiekness~ moved in a souflmrly direegion
across New Enghn?l and New York, hnryieu tho highes~ mouet~ins,
m'oding tim land sm'face, e~rryieg tim derived nmterlal ot~ all grades
ef cearsmmss l}ofll~ wiflfin and upon tim it% and finally depositing
sand: gravel~ loam, and htrge masses of reck throaghout its entire
course. Such deposits asnally a6tain i,heir greatest; thiekeess along
the froet of the icc, where the It)ad is dumped through m~trgieal
lng. As thc ice Ih'oat [htegtlat.es ]}aekwa]'d aed ~orward over la]:gc or
small disbmces a series of such ternfical-moraine deposits may he
formed. The two ranges o~ hills feoml ce Long lslaed are lerntiaal
moraines. ()1' these thc sonthern is tim older, and thc northcro, which
overlaps thc other west ef Rosslya, is the newer. Thc two belts of
g'en[ly sloping 1)htins constitute material derived frem the melting
earricCf beyond the glacier h'on[ by tho water and deposited either tts
a slml[ow-water shore deposit or as aa eatwash phtJn lAn'reed ~fl}ovc
fide water. The plateau area consists largely of roughly strafilied
sands and gl'aVel~ either fOl*llled between the ghtclal advaaces or else
left daring the fiatd retreat nf the ice. Material of the former class
is covered 1)y lite till let down upon ils surface during the final
retreat. Tho sands ef the latter class form local dclta phfins~ as at
Port Washingtoa.
The agrieultnml influence ef the geologic events and of the result-
ant physiographic forms is marked. This is manifest;ed mes~
iogly in the depiJ[ (ff sell in the various physicM divisions and in the
hlfluence of the matm'iM on which tim soil nlass rests. Throughout
tim extent ely both belts of phfies the eomlfiaed dcpth of sell and snb-
soil is less thaa 36 inehes; umtally it dees not exceed S4. Ag such
dei~ths it is underlain by ~ definite band of elosely packed gravel or
eobbles, whieh separates it from the coarse, porous saeds and gravel
below. As a result, tim' to~al feeding range o~ crops is limited to a
root development in a scant 30 ioches of soil. Even those ;rees which
nm'really dcvekq) taproots have been forced to a shallow feeding
8ySJ;OIIl~ J~or in few cases have any refills Of veg'e[at.ion been able to
prom[rate the grovel. Tim 9hallowness o¢ tim soil mass affects tim
grewl;h o1' crops itt I;wo Illllill %%rayS. I~ limits root development to
horizontal spreading, and tiffs results in crowdiag mnoag closely
planted crops ol~ long grmvfih like gnfin and gross, it; Mso into)-
duces another clement of tim smue character in limiting ;he storage
rcscrveir for thc maiet, enance of moistarc. Both effects tend toward
low crop yields. This is cotmtcracted in some measure by heavy
applications of namure. These ohserva[ions apply cspeciMly to tim
Hcmpstcad loanb Sassafras gravelly loam, and Sassafras sandy lomn;
to }; less degree to Kcmpstead gravelly loam ~md Norfolk coarse sandy
lomn, since tim gravel band constitutes par; of thc soil mass in both
of these type% and no; ag all to Norfolk sand ana ~orfolk coarse sand~
as these types arc chiefly on,crops of thc hasM sauds without the sur-
face gravel and lomn covering.
Contrasted wig thc plains soils, as cnnmcmted, ~[rc tim soils of thc
moraine region, tim Miami stony lomn and tim Alton stony loam.
They arc hilly or rolllag iu topography. They nrc also developed to
a much grentcr thickness. Thc marked difference, aside from texture,
is tho entire absence ce a con~inuons gravel had uuderlyieg the soil
msss. On the other bmod, there is a m~;rked gradation dowewm'd in
many instances, and only loom l;reas of sharp demarcation. As a
resolg tim soil mass is tldclcor, x,aryi~3g [pOlll a lninlmmn o~ a, bottt 3
fcc[ to a lnaxJlllnln of ~0 feet of B~orc, with an ample opportnni[y for
root development aed a largely increased moisture reservoir. Thc
coarse texture of thc Plainwcll stony loam cxclndes it from this gcn-
eraliz~tion~ as its tcxtnr% not its depth, is the parmnonnt ~act6r in its
moisture capacity. Some areas et Miami stoay lomn and Alton stony
loam have suffered frmn soil washing to such an extent that they also
~orm an exception to tile rule. Io the plateau, reglou, even where the
soils arc underlain by sand, the separating band ce grovel is lacking,
and thc conditions gcc crop prodtmtion are favorable.
The effect of ~hese differing conditions is most marked in thc ease
of forest growth m~d ia the case et grains m}d grass among' thc chi-
riveted crops. }'or shallow-rooted crops sneh as arc ndsed on the
market-garden fgrms~ the loams and sandy loams of the ph~ius arc
suf~clenfly deep and retentive of moisture. So also for small frnits.
For this class of crops thc advantage derived hy thorough natttrtfl
undcrdrMnagc is great. Thc soil becomes warnmd to a temperature
adequate ~or thc germination of seeds from ton days to two weeks ~;head
of that of thc hill conntry. 55orcovcr, thc checking of thc supply of
moisture in midsummer aids in ~orcing the erops to mi early maturity.
As a result thc plaies soils arc welt ad~ptcd to the intense (~ttltivatioa
of mltrke[ g'ardenitig, while the hill and plgl;eau regions are suited to
orcharding and the production of grain and grass crops with a variation
in rotation afforded ])y tho ctdtivatioa of late truck crops, like pete-
The physiographic features of Long Island affect its elinmtie eondl-
glens to some extent, as is shown hy the meteorological dater given
under tim heading '~ Climate.'
SOILS.
Fifteen different types of soil are found within the present area.
These are larg'ely thc gravelly, stony, and sandy loams. Thc relative
exteni; of each type is shown in the table following.
.4ross oj diffc}.ent soils.
ittssafras gravelly loam ...... 9t,818 17, r) Galveston sans .............. 12~124 2,
il'be sm:face soil o1! tim Hmapstcad loam, to a depth of 8 inches,
consists of a ft'iithle brown or black lotml containing il scroll anlonnt
or white quartz gravnl and locally 1)teething somcwha[ saGdy. From
8 [o S4 inches 0m subsoil consists of ~; heavy yellow go reddish-yellow
silt loam~ sllgh¢ly gr~;vclly. It is very aniformly underlain at a depth
nf tfl~ouC 24 inches hy h bcd of retmded qutu'tz gravel embedded in
slmdy loam matrix, ~fll considerably s~tilmd hy a coating of hydra[ed
iren salts.
Tho Hempstead loma consglCutcs [he chief soil type of lbo l-lctnp-
stead plain, k slightly hot[vier pitusa of tiffs type also occurs ie
southern l(ings Coua[y~ while small isolated areas lu'o found
east in [hn plain bo[weoe ~he double range of hills.
This [ypo is very level, i~s surface being interrupted only by narrow,
dry si;ream channels Mona whose haaks t;he underlying gravel oatcrops.
Tim Hempstoad loam is well draiued hy [ho undm'lying hods of mad
and grauol. On [lm ocher hand, the texture of both soil and subsoil
is saflleien~ly tlne grained to main[Mn n fair moisgare supply al all
times. Its chief dotlciency is [he lack of depth. The soil body is
defiaitely bounded hy tho underlying gravel hand, which no~ only
prevents any extensive downward developmen[ of [he reel systems
of phmts and Crees, bu[ also famishes a leaehy~ dry base into which
a lin'ge part of ~ho moisture from each rainfall readily sinks.
il?he Ilompstoad loam, as found in Hempstoad phdn, is aotable in
being a naCural prairie eas[ of lbo Allegheny Mountains. Ia its
aatural sgaLe ig heat's a rank grow[h of sedge grass. It was
less when firs[ discovered and was originally utilized as commons for
~he pas[urag'e of eat[lo and horses beloaging to iadividuals and
communities. La,er patents were ~aken GUi lev per[ions of
plat% ~he areas wore inclosed~ and grass was cng for winter feeding.
Ul[inmCely cul~iva[ioe was begun, and a~ present many of the fines~
farms on Long Island are located on [his ~ype.
The Hempstead loam produces g. ood yields of corn, potatoes,
tomatoe% eabbag% grass~ and fy% [lie la~ter usually cue green and fed
14 L'[ELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SO1LS~ 1903.
as hay. Thc late h'uck crops do well oa this type, but it docs not
bring thc lighter crops to m~ early enough maturity to compete with
the ~norc sandy types. For thc crops named the Hempstead loam is
only second in valtm to tim ~Dami stony loam.
Thc following analyses show tim character of the fine car~h of the
Hcmpstead loam:
Thc snrface soil of thc lIempstcad graw~lly loam is a brown sandy
and gravelly loam having a depth of al)ou~ 8 inches. This is under-
hdn by a yellow gravelly Ioaln usually more silty than thc surface soil.
i~ extends to a d(q)th of abong 2 :feel; and rests os gravel and sand.
Tim gravel lo both soil snd snbsoil consists of small qtmrtz pehbles
from the size of a pea to 1. m' 2 incln,s in diameter.
This type occurs around thc margins of lira Hmnpstead loanl and
constitutes a region where giro coarser n~aiorittls of the western plain
were deposited hy ghtclal outwash. Thc narrow dry stream beds of
the phdn have been mapped wi~h 5his typt~.
The surface of the Hcmpstcad gravolly loam is nearly level~ sloping
gently seaward. Thc type is well drained [hrough the presence of
thick m~derlyisg hods of gravel and sand.
In its more level areas the I{empstead gravelly loam is cultivated to
market-garden crops. Coro, peas, bcans~ pohttoes~ cabbag'% caull-
tlowcr, asparagus, and celery arc raiscd to good advanhtgc. Thc crops
mahn'c a little earlier thaa on the more loamy types hut do uo~ pro-
duce qnitc as largo yields. The Hclnpstead gravelly loam is somewhat
more productive 5httn fhc Ssssttft'as gravelly loam, but thc heavy
applieatlon cfi stable mamn'e tln'onghOut thc area masks thc inhcren~
fct'tili[y of thc soil. It is possible to produce good crops on either
soil.
SO1L SURV]~Y OF LONG ISLAND ARI~A~ N~EW YORK. 15
[1 e fo[lo~ ~g mechanical analyses show tim texture (ff the line earth
this type.
The (_hllvoston sturdy lottHt COllSJsts ot~ tt Stlt'l"aco IllaSS ol~ sltlllty IOalll
and eclgrass tm'f, having a depth of about 1 foot. This is m~dcrlain
by a gravelly sandy loam m0)soil to mi indclinih~ depth.
Tim Galvcstm~ sandy lomn is found tfieng the south shore of Leng
island as t[ 0de-ware]' extension ¢ff thc sandy uphmd seils. It also
occurs along the hm side o1~ thc great barrier beachos. In this l)esifion
ii hn'gely owes its et'ig'in to tlm nfing'ling ol~ wind-blown sand with the
finer materials of the tidal Itats. In a few localities mmt]l dikes have
been ]milt ltCl'OSS illtrrew strips of Galveston sandy hmm, and thc type
is then cultivated to rhttbarlb onions, and radishes. In preparing thc
land, beds o1~ the soil arc thrown ttp~ sot~c 30 fret i ~ width a ~d of thc
dcsircd length. Frequently open ditches arc cut to e~n'ry orr surphm
ralnl~all. Fair crop yields arc secured. No general attempt has been
made to bring fha Galveston sandy ]cam midcr cttltivation.
Thc I'o[loxving analysis of ~; typictfl smn[)le o~ this soil shows its
8274~0,t~3
Tlw surface soil of the Galveston clay censists of a black mud and
of a matted ntass o1' eelgrass re.ts, i; rests at a depth of about ~
feet on a bluish or lead-colored silty clay. Tbls is in tm'n uedot:hdn
~tt vttryieg depths by medlmn sttnd and gr~rvel beds.
The type is chielly developed in the I,eng island at'ca armmd/hmmiea
and llempstead b%,s on the south shore and at tim bases of I;}/{~ deep
barber indentations along the western end ef the north shore.
Tbe surface ef the Galveston clay is very level and lies only tt few
inches above the limit of high title. It is il~terrupted by winding,
steep-sided tide-water eom'sos kept open by tidttl em'rents. Small
pools of salt water are also scattered over tho surface of tim various
areas. The Galveston clay is constantly saturated with tklo water aed
no largo portion of iL'bas been drained. A few small areas of 80 to
70 acres along the north shore have boon rechtbned for sanitary pttP-
poses rather titan for their agricttltm:al vahte. No crops are cultivated
on the Galveston clay, but locally tho salt grass is eot for }nt3b wbieb
has }; value of $5 to 810 per ton, depending on the sttpply of upland
bay.
By dildng and draining suitably located areas of Galveston ehty it
could be made to produce good crops of beets, cabbages, on Joes, Iottue%
mtd eelm'y. Tho salt would need to be washed from the surfm:e sell
either by llooding or more slowly by ordbmry preciplttttlon before
any crops could be produced. Beets shoeld then be tho first crop
planted, and ns the soil became less salty tim other crops should follow
in regohtr rotation. Tbe reclamation of this type is discussed in a
special chapter on drainage.
Tim following analyses shew tim chttracter of fids type:
NO. Lo~y, tlit y. { Dt'se,'il,t ion. = ~ I ~
Tbe Plainwell stoey loam is cbaracterized by a surface soil of medium
to coarse gray or brown sand mixed with some tine gravel trod eon,
talcing scattered bowlders, it is tmderlain at about (; inches by
nlodiunl yellow gravelly sand, which at 18 inches passes into ~t bed of
coarse sand, gravel, und stone. SOlllO portion of tho surface material
is usually of wind-blown origin, while the basal part is glacial. The
bowlders are not so numerous nor so large as in tho Miami aod the
Alton stony loams.
The .l?hfinwoll stony loam is ehlelly developed along the sottthern
lllorailte ~I'OIII Hauppmtge tntstwttrd~ though one ~trca, formed by wind-
blown saod resting un glacial material, occurs jus~ west o~ Setaukct.
Its surt'a{~e is hilly and consists of ridges and hollows. Even the
deepest of these contain nu stnading water, as the soil is too porous.
The Phtinwell stony loam is n leachy, sandy type not suited to agrl-
cultural operations. I[ is almost wholly occupied by o~tk, chestnut,
and pitch-pice ~orest, und several llelds once cultivated have boca
allowed to grow up to scrub o}tk. This typo would produce pcttehes
to :fair advantagc~ and troclq crops could he grown in seasons of average
rainfidl. Me]oas and sweet; potatoes weald constitute thc best crops.
The followiag analysis shows thc textm'c o~ thc llae earth o1' l;his soil:
The (htlveston saud constitutes tho sandy and g'ravelly beaches of
both the souod and ocean shores of Long Island. The material eom-
posing the beaches is a mcdlmn to coarse qtm'tz sand eontalning vary-
lng proportioos of tlne gravel and brokeo fragments o1' marine shells.
Along the oeeaa shore~ on Fire Islaad and elsewher% a largo part of
this nmterlal, once thrown above the llne of constant wave aetion~ is
blown into rounded drams covered with wiry grass, cedars, and oaks.
Along the north shore occasional small dunes have also been formed
at tho crest of tile cliffs.
This material has n'o value as ao agrlealtural soil itl this latitude.
In phtees where the movement, of the dtmes threatens ealtivated, fields
the duces should be planted to binding grasses and to drought-resistant
trees~ like black-jack and scrub oak,
The Norfolk coarse saud to i[ depth of 36 inches or luore cousists of a
Only .3 ~u'eas of this type~ approximnting' 2~. square miles of terri-
tory, occur in the area. They are fomul in thc pine and scru[~-ottk
conntry jtts~ north o~ Babylou, Bayshm'e, and [sllp.
The sm'time of tim Norfolk coarse sand is level and forested. The
type constitntes tim nuternp of cottrsc phases o1' the thlek beds 6f stnul
underlvlng tbe Long ldand plttins. This sttud was deposited as mit-
wash f~'em the glaciers ami consists of qtmrtz sand, luicl/, ferrllg'h~ous
eongqomerate, and small pebbles of qltar[z and oglnu' crystalline rock.
The ~rorfolk coarso snmt is a typical "pine barrens" soil, aud without
irrigation it is too much subject to drought to be (ff nny va[ut for culti-
vation. With irrigation it wonld constitute tt vnluttlflc trnck soil.
Thc following table shows thc texture of tim soil of this type:
The Norfolk gravel consists or! rotmded quartz gntvc[ front one-half
inch to 5 or O inches in ditunctcr~ mixed with a snud[ }tlUOnll~ Of Jl'oll-
stalucd qttal'tz sand. Thc lntlsg Ill}ly I)c lllfilly feet or only a fcw ]lleh(]s
in thickness. It usually rests upou coarse s}md, but locally covers tbe
sticky Cretaceous clays found near Wyandanee nnd Bethpage.
The surface is rolling to hilly, aud the otdy large areas o~ the type
constitute the frontal slope o~ the hills near Plainview and Bethpage.
This gravel soil nrises from the outcrop o~ old grnvel beds partly
overriden by the firstghmiation of the island. These gravels, ns else-
where along the 2[tlantic const, nmy be rcferred to the earliest l?leis-
tocene deposition or to Pliocene shoredine beds. In the absence of
any remains o~ organle llfe their age eau uot be defini[ely placed.
Agriculturally the Nm'folk gravel is ahnost useless and should be
allowed to grow up to forest.
SOIL SURY]~Y OZ' LONG ISLAND AREA~ N]~W YOi{K. 19
The surface soil oi the Sassafras sturdy loam eonslsts of 15 i~mhes
llne brown or yellow sandy lottm~ occasiomdly containing a snmll
amoun[ of smtdl grovel, it is underhdn to }; depth of 30 or 40
inches by a fine reddish-yellow sandy loam containing considerable
linely divided ntic~[ and vat'ying amounts of small gravel. The entire
soil lnttss rest8 upon ~; ghin bed of iron-staieed gravel and coarse
orange or yellow seed. This soil occurs }mtween C. anarsle amd Sheeps-
head Bay ag an elevation ot~ ~rom 5 ~o 80 feet above sea level. Its
sm'face is almost fiat, sloping gently toward the coas~. It is inter-
rupted truly by a few IIItlTOW, shallow, grenehlike water emtrses, aloag
whose sides the underlying gravel occasionally outcrops and the bof
tom of which conhfins water during oely a portion of tho year. Owing
to its position and ~}m character of the underlying materials, this soil
is well drained, although fire normal water table exists at a depfl~ of
only ~; :few :feet, as is showa by the level' of water in wells and by the
moisture whleh collects in [he seaward portion of the small stream
channels ah'eady mentioned.
This soil is a tmu'im~ sedimen[ deposited in water of moderate
rapidity of motion, and i[ owes its uniformity of toxtm'e to a ghorough
sorglng of materials at thc time of deposition.
Owing to its proximity to Brooklyo, this type is ahnost exeiuslvely
devoted to nmrke[ gardening and trucking. Early potatoes, peas,
rhttbarb~ lettuce, onions, and similar crops chielty are growe. Like
all the market-garden soils near tim city, thc Sassafras stmdy lqam is
heavily fertilized each yet;r wifll sh~ble Inanm'e and eommm'ciM fer[i-
lizer/ It is etdtivated on a very intensive system, by which
successive crops are produced annually. I[ is not so well adapted to
mteklng crops as the Nm:folk seed or the more sturdy phases of
Alton stony loam. I[ is capable of producieg l~rger yields titan either
of [hose types.
The texture of the tlne earth of [his sell is shown by the following
table of meclmnieal analyses of typical samples:
FII']LD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILSt 1903.
The Alter; stouy loam consists of a medium to fine brown or reddish-
yellow sandy loam, having a depth of 6 iuches to I foot. The subsoil
is a somewhat fleer sandy lo~m, asually of tt reddish tinge from tho
stain of hyd~'atod iron salts. I; extends to a depth uf 80 iuches or
mm'e and is uudorlaiu hy gray ~r yellow cross-bedded sand
gravel. Both soil aud subsoil contaiu nuulerous ghtcitd howhlers of
trap, granite, gaeiss, quartzite, shale, conglomerate, and stmdstone
rock. This soil is also constaetly gravelly. Tho gravel is well
rounded to suhangular white quartz of crystalline pebbles and
reaches 30 per ceu~ of the total soil mass. Ie is most abtuuhot~ ua
slopes and iu the rouuded hills of the two moraine belts.
Tho kltou stouy loam occurs as lenticular hills urn'th of Atuuaiea
in the viciuity o~ ~ewtown and Flushing, but is most ox~ousively
developed iu the sou6hern moraine, in the northern moraine east of
Success Lake, aed iu tho nlore rolliug portions of tho norfl~ shore
plateau. 1~ is fl~e peewleat moraiue and phtteau ~ypo eas~ of Hemp-
stead Harbor.
This sell is esually rolliug to hilly, rising to fl~e highest poiuts of
fl~e moraines and forming' fl~e highest elevatiou ou Long lshmd, ahottg
3 milos south of Huutington. The hills arc sepan;ted by kettle holes
aad irregular valleys and fl~e rolling phtteau is cut hy deep gorge-
like valleys ~flong the uorth shore. In those valleys the Alton stony
loam desceuds to set[ level. Along their sides the sand ued gn[vel
uudorlyiug the emin msss of the [ype outcrop, forming t; moro sandy
phase of the Wpe. As fl~e slopes are too steep for eultivafiou the3r
are eot mapped as a separate type of soil.
The saudy uattll'e of this soil ~ype, i~s elevt;tion above sea levnl, and
tl~e Mmost coustan~ preseuce of underlyiug sand and gravel beds gives
it good natund underdraieage. The Ice,tie hules iu the moraine ~u'eas
~orm the chief exception to tiffs. There the fiuer sedimeu~ l't'om ~;djoin-
lng slopes has accumulated to obstruct tho downward seepage of the
soil n~oisturt~. Proqueufly, too, local beds of chty or of heavier loam
give rise to small springy or marshy areas. These are chiefly loeated
at a ehange of slope where the dowuward percoh[tiou of soil water is
inte~'rup~cd and the moisture is coedueted ~o the sur~ace.
The Alton stouy loam cpnstitutes a gravelly or saudy phase ul' gqaeiM
doposifiou origiuating largely from fi~e overridiug at both glacitfi
advauces of previously existiag beds of ssnd and gravel. These were
reworked with additioeal material brough~ ie frum mainlund sources
and redeposited as moraioe, till plain, aud beds of stratified dril~t. Tho
ehlef influence of the older sedimoutary hods has boec to furnish an
unusually large amouet of quartz to this glacial material, the particles
varying in size :~rom fine sand to coarse gravel and cobblostoues several
inches in diameter. Some Cretaeeol~s clay was also worked into the
mass, ~orming small local bodies of plustic clay or day loam. The
majority of these influence undcrdnfinage rather than thc sorfacc soil,
bug a few areas o:f them, too small to ha nmpped~ occur io various
parts of tiffs type.
A large pot'tion of the Alton stony loam is forested. The steep
valley slopes bear a predominant growth of chestnut, with a character-
istio undergrowth o~ motmtuin laurel~ while tho moraine bears scarlet
and red o~fi~, some white o~tk, hickory, chestmit, and in a few localities
scattered pitch pioes. Dogwood fro'ms a notable undergrowth, with
Unoccupied lields grow up to cedar. The locust thrives oo this sell
and is eared ~or to form a supply ot~ feecing materinl.
merated under Mimui stoW lento are produced, ht Nass~ut and Suf-
folk couuties tho plateau areas are cultivated to curly potgtoes, sugar
strawberries. Tho eucumber is cultivated for pickling, and yields well
on tile AiDe stony loam. It is ehiofl.y raised t~rom Jericho castw~trd,
and is not eoofined to any siugle soil typo. The Alton stony loam is too
sandy to form a typical ~tpple soil. The trees thrive und produce fine
lrult, however, especially whertx the orchards are located aroued g
water hole or other hollow where ahundaet moisture is found near the
surfnce. Several fine orchards o~ Kieffer pears are loeatod on the Alton
stony loam, those near I-hmtington being especially productive and
profitable. The Kioffer pear should be more extensively phmted on
this typo. (h'ttpos also do well, and the moraine belts, particularly
the soufllorn on% which is less suhjeot t0 henry ~ogs than other por-
tions et the island~ constitute ~t good soil und good Iocatioe eer vine-
yards, lMtches, cherries, plmns~ qttlnees~ and e~tne fruits are adapted
to the Atton stony loam, and tho chief ohstraction to their in'ofitahlo
eultiwttkm lies iu tho presence of the San /losd scale and ?llows in
existing re'chards.
The Alton stony loam forms a soil well a¢h;pted to the htter truck
crops. It will insnre e~trlier matnrity than the Miami sto%~ loam~ hot
not so largo a yield uuless heavily manttred. Being somewh~tt saedy~
the use o1~ stable illallur6 and tho pluwlng under of green crops to fttr-
nlsh organic matter and nitrogen is a better practice than the use of
~9 ~'[]CI, D OPEIIATIONS 01~* THE BUREAU OF SOILS~ 1903.
!l?hc following' t~l})[e shows ihe textllre of tho fi~e e~tl'th of t[~e Alton
~tony loam:
Oloa lletes. , I i i
This soil type consists of a ve]'y :friable brown loam, lmving a deptlt
of 8 to 14 inches. The surface soil is uoderlain by ~t silty or tilde s~mdy
yellew loam sttbsoil to a depth of al)ont 30 inches, where a fine or
lned [tlll~ mieaeeous yellow sand~ containing a varyieg all/O[llit of g'l'avel~
Js eneount(~red. [Phe surfaco of the ~qittmi stony loam is strewn with
large-sized, erratic glacial J~owldm's, chiefly diabaso (trap), on t, he
western end of I,oeg Island, with gneiss, g'ranite~ quartzite~ shale~ and
conglomerate farther oastw~[rd. Over tho cultivated fields the major-
ity of those bowlders have been renIoved and built into massive stone
feet:os o~' tlsod ~()r road surfeiting' filial constructional purposes.
Tho Miami stony loam is found in [he nor[hem moraine belt and
upon [he i)httotm north of i~. Inmmdiately nor[bwt~rd o~ ,Jericho
shtgl[~ al'ell ol~ it})otl[ 1,000 acres in exgong lies b~ t~ hollow sough o~
morai~te. Its i)rosenee ~s explained by ~ho local overriding of the
moraieo l)y the temporary adw[neo of [he ice shoe~.
The ~4;in ml stony loam in [he moraine bel~ presents a rounded, koobby
surf}mo wi~h [he elevatioes iatevspersed by shallow, irregular hollows
having no on[lets ~md~ [herefo]'e, frequently eont}[inlng water during
a htrgc part ef thc year. Oa thc plateau thc surface is more bevel,
but is still somewhat rolling and hilly. In thc moraine ~he soil body
~requcntly ntt~[ins ~[ depth of 10 or 20 feee, while on thc plateau it is
rarely more thttn 5 et' 6 feet deep. In 1)otb cases it is underlain by
coarsc~ cross-bedded sand and gravel~ usually coosidert~bly iron stained.
The sand and gravel beds frequently outcrop en tim steeper slepes,
whore ae ieeroased amoung of gravel is also found. The slopes are
subjoci; to consldtmdflo soil wash, wbM~ leaves behind tho coarser mate-
rial and aceunndates the liner particles ie the hollows and at thc line
of junction ~vitb the plateau ami phtin. The Miami stony loam is a
firm, compact, ovcn-textm'ed soil, which maintains tt good supply of
nmisture during tim entire growing seasoe m~d fureishes a largo space
for tim dtwelopm(mt (ff the root. systems of the growing pJanl;.
Thc ]Miami stony Jeaal is fl. t;yI)ical glacial soil. lt;s raima'al tempo-
re,ads ave lhmly divided fragments of rock mixed with ha'get masses
of the same m~;tm'ia]. It; has no definite Stl'UCttll'O~ btt[ consists of
ma~s ,1' line eaeth in whleb the ~'ravel and bowlders are irrogtdarly
distvihtth~d. All (ff I;he mtztm'ial is ia an ilwlplont stage of chemical
disorganization, leaving' tho conlpoaon~ minerals in ~[ fm'm readily
~ttaeked by ci~'eulathlg w~zter and its impm'it;ies. On the otlmt' band,
[ho lll]llel'a]s are lief so thoroughly weaUmred as to rodtwo filme to
nearly ieaoluble eompo~tmlm Tho miaeral fragmmd;s lmve undergmm
considerabh~ mechaeieal disietegratioe, lint net excessive chemical
deeomposificm. Tim easily recog'nized minerals~fi~ldspar~ nmseovite.
trod biotlto mirt~ hornblende, and qtmrtz~are e:~p:flflo (ff fm'nisldng
slowly eonsid(m[ble amounts ot~ potash, ]illl(~ ir(a/5 alia silict* to em'Mx
the soil sobtlions [~oeding
The materitd feinting tiffs soil Cype consists of mortfinal accumula-
tions of g'laeially boree mttterla[ aed of the till deposited ~rom tim snr-
fa(~e of tim melfiag'ie~ during its final retreat, le both cases tbcmate-
rial bas Imtm modified since its deposition by tho admixtm'e of org'anle
mat;tm' from decaylag' vegctatlon aed by the r0dlstri}mtlen of small
portioes of tho mineral ma[tot througl~ soil washing.
T}m toxtm'e and structure {ff tho Miami stony loam phtco it ie tho
g'roup o1' g't'ass mul gt'ain prodm'b~g' soils usually classed as general
[~ttlqlling B, 1)es. I ts location near }[ large city bas caused it to bo appro-
prhtied to a more intensive systmn of ag~'ictdtm'e, and thc farms on
this type in (}ueens and Nassatl cotmties are chiefly small-sized market
gar(Ions, lqas[ward, in Suffolk County, it is still farmed to grass and
gq'Mn with herds of dairy cows trod a few sheep. I[ produces good
apples and seam pe~n's in tall Ioetfli[ies.
The ordinary markeC-garden rotation oo the Miami stony lomn pro-
dtLves tbree or oven more crops from tho same field each year. In tbe
mtL'ly spl'ieg kale, spinach, and rhubarb are nmrkot0d; Umn
radislms, and early peas follow; later cabbage, parsnlps? carrots, beets,
[urnil)s? and onions two harvested; while 8Ollle area8 are devoted
sugar eor[h potatoes, squashes~ and eucunlbors. 'Fhe aba is to keep
some crop constm~tly growing? and ~requently rye is sown late in
fall and grazed both fall and spring and then turned trader to add
org:mie matter to the soil.
FIELD OP~RATIOi~S OF THE BUREAU OF $OTLS~ I903.
Some oK thc fruit trod llower farms on this type employ irrigution
in a small way~ either hy g~trdcn hose attached ~o city hydruuts, or from
windmill tanks, or hy whirling spray machiucs, such as arc used to
sprinkle h~wes. The method is cxpcesivc~ bu~ is justified by ~hc
results.
As ou all other soils on thc ishn~d, large amom~ts o1~ s[l~l)h~ nmmtrc
and commerciM fertilizer, usually spceiat brands, are used. From 5
to 10 tous of maeurc ~;nd 1,000 to 2,500 pounds o1' eouuucrci~;[ I%vtilizer
arc used per acre aunually. Both classes of Perfilize~' ~u'e us~d to
advan~agc~thc mtmm'c to furnish organic matter, thc contuu~rci~d
tilizcr to give a quick start to phmt growth aud to influence quality
thc product.
Thc v~due of thc Miami stoey loam varies with khc IocaSiou. Withiu
thc boroughs of New York City it sells by thc :f~'out Poet, sltch lots
beiug utilized to produce flowers aed vcget~;hlcs chlclly re:der glass or
else iu the field, pcndieg their occupt;~ion as huildieg sites.
suburbs to thc Nassau County liue thc type is highly valucd for vilh~
sites ou accouut of its rolling topograI)hy and elevated posiCioo and
because i~ usually ox,crlooks thc SOulid itt no grcat distam~e.
ploks sell ~t $~,000 to $8,000 per acre. IAI;tlc of thc type eau be
bought west of ~aSStUt County I;t ~; lower ilgure. In ~ttsSt~tl
and westeru Suffolk thc value decreases i',~pklly with distunec from
thc city uu~il *; vuluc of ~100 to $500 per acre is reached.
Uudcr the iutcusivc system of market g~;rdcning libtle can I~c said
of the a&;pt~;bili~y of this soil to crops. Thc maj(u'i;y ol~ thc crops
are produced by thc fertilizer rather t.lmo by iehcrcnt fertility
soil, and oven its ;cxttu'c and sl'ructtu'e arc ntodiiied by tilhtgc aed the
additiou of outside m~ttcrial te suit thc uccds of thc gruwcr at any
particular tilnc. In general this type will produce good .vis,Ids ol~ ~he
h~ter truck crops~ hut will uot hriug them to as early nmt;uvity as
thc mora sandy soils. It is thc most drought-resistaut soil oil L(mg
Islaud.
The following mechani.al analyses show the texture of thc Mac earth
of this type:
The surface soil ot! the Norfolk coarse sandy lomn to a depgh of 8
inches eoosists of it mediunt to fine saady loam of a reddish-yellow
color, which con[alas }[ large amonnt of fine grovel from one-fourth iaeh
to 2 inches in diameter. The soil is always prevailingly saady, but in
the localities where [he sand is medium in tcxtm'e it packs to form }[
somcwha~ loamy sttr~acc. The subsoil is a granular sandy Ioaln~ con-
taiaing ~[ {:onsidcrable alnonn[ o1~ grovel. This reaches i[s greates[
proportion tit a depth o~ 16 tn ~4 laches. Below this depth the uader-
lying m~d;crial is a medium to coarse orange sand only slightly gravelly.
In addition to its textural pceuliarltics, Ibc ~m'folk coarse sitndy losm~
where m~disturhcd, has a definite s[,uctnre. The coarser sand particles
attd thc flee gravel are well rouadcd, and dm fiacr silt and clay pat'tlclcs
adhere to their sm'faces when [lm soil is ordinarily dry; when thor-
oughly wet ~.he finer pa,ticles arc a[ greater liberty to move, and con-
sequcnlly make the mass more loamy. Tiffs aids in [he conservation
of n~olstnrc and is a valuable property of tim soil.
The Norfolk cotu'so sandy loam covers la~'go areas in Suffolk County
south of the later lnoraino, it is most exteasively developed between
~nrmingdale ttml Ronkonkoma, from aorth of tho main line of tho Long
Island .Railroad to an irregular line following' the hlontauk division.
Between the moraines it is most prevalent frmn Smithtown Branch
eastward to Port Jefferson. In this region it is more extensively eul-
tlvated thtm elsewhere on the island.
FIELD OI'ERATII}NS O1,' THE BUREAU OF SOILS~ 1,903.
Tim surface of thc Nm'folk c{mrse sandy loam is quite flat~ ooly being'
intm'rupted }~y sha}hm' s/ream channcls~ tim utajority of which are
t.onstantl)' dry. The sm'f}tce sloptys gently seaward and :forms the
tnost h)vcl porfi(m of thc island.
Thc Norfolk coarse sandy hmm constitutes the pot[ion of the out-
wa<h plttht intermediate be/worm ghe Nm'lk>lk stmd and the Nm'tk>lk
coln'sc sand ¢m tim one hand and the lleeq)steml gravelly loam and the
Sitssafras gravelly lotull oll the other. It represents the outcrop oY the
ntor~, ltmnlv sands which m~dcrlie all of tho Loog Ishmd phdns. [t
dithq's frm~ thc l[empstcad gravelly loam ehlefly in containing much
h,ss m'g'anic matter, m~d from the Sossal'ras g'ravelly loam in being
l'r~btthly S5 per ten[ o1' tim Norfolk coarse saody loam is grown up to
pitch pine ttl~(l scrol) oak, with scattered scttrle~ mid white ouk elmups.
Forest ih'~,s OVpl'rlLn It large proportion of [hese plains annuglly with
little interference, as hu'g'e areas of ghe set'ub-oak court[fy are held by
nmtr¢,sident imlividuttls and cm'pm'ationa. Only ghe scrub ouk and
pitch pioc can survive under these conditions, and ~hey ln[ve become
the predoutinan[ l~orlllS o[ vegetation. That other forms of trees cao
thrive on this soil is showo by thc presence of inat~y yellow piucs in
places w}lel'{~ they hove been phtotcd and protected.
Agriculturally thc Norfolk coarse sandy loam is used chietly to pro-
duce local supplies o~ hevrles and fruit and for the cultimttlon of a
holoc supply olt vegetables. A few lorgc farms also produce corn,
polatoes, asparagus of good quality, }md small yields of grass, rye,
ttod whmtt.
The sandy, porous character of ghc Norfolk eotu'se sandy lotun dis-
qualilles it for the production of grass~ graio, or thc late truck crops,
like potatoes, cabbage, onions, etc., under ordinary conditions of
~arming. It is well adapted to thc production of berries, and thc fruit
preduced on this type is cxccllcot in qoality, it is not a soil which
can be relied upon in a dry season.
The Norfolk coarsc sondy loam can he made a valuable fruit and
vegetable soil by o small amount of irrigation during thc driest por-
tlon of each year. Undm' a gq'ctttcr part of its area thc water table is
readwd at :t d{~pth o~ h'om 35 to t[0 ~cct. A series of wells which
could be pumped hy a centrifugal pump would furnish an adequate
water supply for small farms ()l~ 15 to 30 acres. This [reatulcnt could
hr, mnployed t,, advantage on all areas south of thc older moraine and
on lually of the intermorainal areas of Norfolk cuarsc sandy loam.
Owing to thc porous nature ef thc soil and thc uoderlying saod beds,
water ouce oscd for h'rigation purposes would vapidly seep downward
to thc water tabh, aod coold be reused at no gre};~ distance; that. is,
~}n, irrigation use of water would not seriously affect the supply of
well water m)l' render it unlit for domestic uses.
SOIL SURV]]¥ OF LONG ISLAND AREA~ IqEW YORK. 27
An cxpcrimontal plot under irrigation should bo tested to ascertain
thc ftt[l v~luc of thc system on thc Norfolk coarse sandy loam. [~ is
to ho understood that irrigation would not bc necessary every year nor
throughout: even tho driest season. Probably a water supply equal
to [ loot of rainl'~tll over each aero farmed would amply secure truck
crops agnins~ drought;. Potatoes, cabbage, aod all grass or grain crops
would require double that IHIIOllllt hi additien to thc normal raiofall.
Large tl'ltCts o[~ Norfolk coarse sandy [Oltllt (qtll ]lc secured at a In'icc
of $15 to $30 per acre, and even areas within 2 or 3 miles ef the rail-
road can he pm'chased for $30 to $50 per acre.
The follmving tahlc shows the texture of ~hc llne eargh of this type:
The sttrfm!e at)i[ of the ~assafras g'ravelly loam to it depth of 8 inches
consists of a yellow or reddish-yellow loam, containing froal S ¢l'ace to
20 l)cr cent ol' ~mall rounded graw~l. Thc subsoil to a depth of about
2 feet is t; heavier lemon-yellow or reddish-yellow silt loam, which
contains a ]arg'c~] percentage o~ gravel thaa thc soil. Thc catirc soil
mass is ttnderhtin by a dclinite continuotts bed of rathcr coarse gravel.
Near the h'ont o~ the moraine small bowlders oeettr ht both soil and
sttbsoil, while [he underlying gravel is coarscr~ alllOtltltil~g in some
instances to :t stony band. In almost all localities ghe Sassafras
gravelly loam ovorlics }rods of coarse, cross-bedded sand. Ahmg the
moraine, however, this soil type normally ovcrhtps the ghtcial material
for a short distance. Both soil and sttbsoil contain a greater propor-
tion o[ silt aod clay near the lnoraioc and become lnorc.sandy sott~h~
~ard as the typo slmvly grades into thc Sorfolk coarse saody loam or
thc Norfolk sand.
The Sass~;fras gn~velly loanl is extensively developed oe all p~;rts of
Long Island sottth of the northern moraieo. It is divided into two
belts by the southern or older ruer*fine, arouad whoso flanks it laps.
The interior boll is usually more Ioa~ny, less gn~velly, and ~ stronger
sell titan fl~e southera belt. It also lies higher above the w~tter table.
The surface of the Sassafras gravelly loam ia aey one locality is
nearly level, and interruI)tcd ooly by old, dry stream ehaeecls, whieh
form either a more gr~;vclly phase of tho type or narrow strlngcrs of
thc I-[empstcad gravelly loam or thc ~orfolk coarse sandy loam. Thc
Sassafras gravelly loam attains an elevation of ~40 feet near (3recnlawn.
It slopes rather uniforefly at a n~tc of about 10 feet per mile from thc
moraine front ko ~hc soathcrn shorc~ ned its material passes below
water level as thc subsoil of tl~c Galvcstoo saedy l(amL Thc chief
drainage of thc Sassafras gravelly loam is by downward seepage into
thc uederlylog beds of sired ~tnd gravel and thence by pcreolafioe sca-
ward at a dcpfl~ of from 15 to 50 feet below thc sttrfaec.
Thc rclafioas of this soil body to both mondnes, i~s position as the
last of a series of stratified deposits, thc constant assoclatioe of glacial
materials of all sizes, and thc uoivcrsal underlyb~g gr,;vel bed iedicatc
thc origin of this type as an outwash material htid dowe during the
latest stages o~' thc glaciation of thc island. Thc eniform aod thor-
ough mixiog of gravel with fine silt aed clay in this type is a phc-
nomenoe diflicelt to exphtia, except, as it m~;y have been brought
about by combined wave and stream action. Thc sallie soil, as
described in Maryland and New Jersey, is a shallow-water sediment
of late Pleistocene age, closely associated with glaciation. Thc same
origin is probable on Long Island.
As on all other soil types of the area, fl~c distance from market is the
chief factor govcrniog the character of thc crops growa on thc Sassa-
fras gravelly loam. hx Kiags, ~ucens, and western Nassau eountics
thc markot-gardco crops arc chiefly grown. Thc areas devoted to
other soils of western Long Island. Farther east ia Suffolk County
the Sassafras gravelly loam becomes tho chief soil type upon which
potatoes are grewe, while ia file vicinity of Rivcrhead ~md Orcenporg~
outside cfi the area mapped, cauliflower is oeo of its most important
crops. In spite of its slight depth aed rather gravelly character, thc
Sassafras gravelly loam is one of thc most important soils on Long
Island. ~t is tmiformly level, well drained, and easily tilled. Thc
compact character of thc flee earth makes it fairly retentive eli moi~-
tttre~ while n constant sma[l perccnt~gc of medium sated renders it
well aerated, warm, and friable. It is too shallow ;o mai~atain suftl-
cient moisture ~or tho prod.oction of large graie crops or to allow of
thc formatioo of extensive root systems for grains and other eroHs
requil'h~g' a hlng' g']'owlug' season. But it is a good soll for nLarkefi-
garde, crops, except in seasons of extreme drought.
M,ny sqttar(~ miles oP the Sassafras gntvclly loam are still grown ttp to
pitch pine, scrub oak, and ]ntcklel)en'y bushes. Small areas are ~ottlld
t. hvoughouC Oho scrub-oak eotmtl'y predominatl~d hy Norfolk coarse
sandy loam. Sonic o1~ thcso have h0en eleatred~ but many still swain
(levelopment. As It large lnU'g of this type in Stflrolk Count,3, can still
}10 [)lll'OhltS(~({ [~or I~t'ol~l $] 5 to 850 all aCl'(~, i~ offers ~t good opportu.igy
:I'm' the I~ttrther ext.tmsio]~ of ntarkoL gardening' on l,ong Island. ~reas
within driving dishtnce ol' the city markets sr(~ qttl;o fully oecttpied,
tlower, as ca,'tied on east of l{iv,rhead, could I)e sttecessfully under-
taken at imm.¥ points near tho ntih'oads in western ~uffolk Cmmty.
The I'ollowini meclnmical analyses SllOW ttla t(~xl;tll'o of the tlno earth
The stu'tace, soil or' the Iqorfolk sand, in its cultivat;ed ~reas, is a
llle(JJm~l-g]'ltim~d brown sand~ which, on Long Island, frequently con-
tai,s a small percentage of linc quartz gravel. It is underlain by ~
yellow or orange medium sand, glso slightly gravelly to a depth of
3(; inches or more. Both soil and subsoil are locally somewhat loamy.
In forested t;reas the surfttce soil is frequently gray in color, as thc
organic matter, giving thc brown shades in cultivated fields, has rotted,
FIELD OPERATI0~NS OF THE BUitEAI[ OF SOILS~ 1903.
and this has {urn. lshcd organic acids which have dissolved Ihe iron
salts, normally giving' the yellow aed o,ange colors to all soils.
This soil type is extensively developed along the south shore of
Long ishmd front ,htmaica to Lylthrook and again h'om Amityville
Patchogtte. It .ccurs in ae irregular belt eovering the ridg'es between
stream channels aad extendiag back from one-fmu't,h el~ a mile t{~
miles f,om [ide water, la ~hese localities [he Nm'f.lk sand is some-
what moro loamy than the nornlal~ snd the depgh to the watel' table is
only from (1 to 15 feet. The sell and sttbsoll are beth somewhat
gravelly. The Nnvfolk stln~l [ottnd near Port Wsshington m,l Bay-
villo, on the north shore, is the nearos[ t,uo to tho type, as developed
along the Adantic coast~ of any of the Long Island a~'etts. A rather
coarse phase of Norl'olk sand is [otmd in the interior of the island
around Smithtown, agttin arotmd Selden, and froln Patehog'ue llol'th-
westward ie t~ bread belt to I[olhrook. A somewhal; liner-grained
g'rade of Norfolk sand occttrs hi the valleys arotmd Hauppattge and
below the 100-t~oot eontom' line between Lakegrove and Selden.
of these sand areas grade into one nnothcr whcl'e they are in
so that no suhdlvlsion, wi~h hoandaries, can be drawe~ and all have
nearly the sallie agricultural values. The differences in textttre
so slight that dep[h to water lahle is a factor exerting a greater
infhmnee on crop adaptation aed yield.
With the exception of the saady valley walls northwest of lhmp-
pange [he surfaco of the Norfolk sand is nearly level or oaly gengly
undula[ing. The level of south shore areas is only interrupted hy tho
shallow stream valleys separating thcm; otherwise [he plain slopes
front an elevation o~ 25 to 85 fee[ down to sea level, usually in a dis-
tanee of ~ or 8 miles. The interior a,eas are ra[hec more rolling,
owing to a small movemen~ of the sell by the wind, whieh has pro-
duced incipient sand duoes. The nor[h shol'e areas are usmllly iht[-
topped terraces, aad the only slopes found in the type are along the
outcrops formed arotmd the terraces. Owing to the large size of the
pore spaces in the main bodies o~ the Norfolk sand the greater par[
the rainfall is ¢~ondtteted downward by gmvihttional llow, only a mnall
watcr t~onten[ is maintained hy capillarity, and as a resul[ few 8~l'eall18
or marsh areas are fottnd. The drainage is so pm'fee[ over [he greater
portion of this type eat it does no[ maintain suflleient moistm'e for
grass and grain crops. This feature fits ih however~ for ~he prodnc-
tion et' certain special crops.
The g'reater par[ of [he Norfolk sand on Long Ishmd has been
deposited as a coarse water-borne sediment. South otY the moraine
this was accomplished as outwash from both glacial advances, while
along the not'th shore the areas were formed as delft[ deposits in
locally ponded glacial waters during the final retreat of the ice.
Selden it par[ of ~he outwash sand has been reworked slnee deposition
SOIL SUI/V]]¥ 017 LONG ISLAND AR]~A1 ~EW YORK. 311.
by wind action. This is also true of some of the material along the
south shore, where the process m}ty be semi in progress over cultivated
fields ou Mmost ttny wiody day.
Tho Norf,)lk sand consists chiefly of medimn to llne grades of pure
qum'tz sand~ ustudly stained to ~rt~ orange m' yellow color by ~ coating
(ff hydrated salts of iron. le Lbo forest areas tiffs coloring retorter has
been lcsched 15'om tim surl~acc 11 inches by organic acids derived from
thc decay of lca{~ mold. This leaees t[ silvery grsy ssnd, almost totally
devoid ot~ Ol'ganit~ llllttter~ iron salts, and of everytblng but pure silicm
In the eullival;ed al't~as tht% om'dinsry ilroeesses o[~ eultivatioa have incor-
porated sullhdent orgmfic IiBttter to give I;lm sm'face 10 inches ~ deep
brown coloring. AIsck o1' this color denotes a deficiency in humus,
mul sbcuh[ be corcmd:cd by tim application of organic manures and
the plowing ttnder ol] gt'ecn crops, like fy% clover, or cowpeas.
Tho Nm'l%lk saniL in all o17 its occurrences along clm Aflaufie coas~
is L[ typicM em'ly truck soil, thc ch[re aC which crops can be matured
depending on the h[tltLtde of the area, its idfimde, and its proxiudCy
tu tide wa[er, it; is }dines[ ttlways ~lm earliest soil in each region
where it occurs, l[ence iC is sough[ after for tim production of such
crops as dcrive ~; high value ]~ro]n being forced to nn early maturity.
lC owcs its prop~rCies to t;lm cttpabili[y of a welLventih;ted soil to
be()()lllO warllled to 1[ snfllcim~C degree to germinate seed early ia the
season, to its low moistm'c-holding prollcrtics~ which cause an early
fl'uikago ]'al;]ler tbana strOllg' dcvc]optuollC of the plant, ~nd, second-
arily~ to tim :l'ac~ l;hat [[ ttstnLlly oeetu's in 8tteh ~ position as to secure
whtttevcr advanhbgc of elbnate is follnd in Iow altitude and proximity
to large Imdics (ff water.
Oo Long [shred, parl;icnh;rly in tim marke~-garden region west of
Lynlu'ook, the Nm'l~olk sand produecs early peas, early potatoes, sad
early sweet corn, bvsides rbHbiH'})~ CSl'l'ots~ parsnips~ beets, radishes~
string beans, carl.y tomntoes, Lind cwm cabbage, ouions, and lettuce.
Thc urea mnppcd neon' B}[yville, on the north shore, is largely devoted
to the produetbm of an excellent qnalky of asparugus. In file vicinity
Of ~oldell SOlUO sweot potatoes and wad'emnckms nrc grown. Berries
nnd small garden vcget~thles *u'c also produced ia filet vieini[y, in addi-
0on to ecru und pobttocs. The area near Peri Washington and thc
larger ptLrt of the bclt of thc ~orfolk sand aloog thc sooth shore from
1)ateboguc to. StLyvillc nrc hold as country estates or occupied by vil-
lage sites and club grmmds, so thug flmir agricultural wluc is of little
huportance to thc oweers. Along tim soufl~ shore the sligh[ dop[h to
water table, only 8 to 15 feo[~ detracts somewhat from the wduc of
Offs sell for trncklng, hut udds [o its ability to produce groins, grasses,
m~d the watcr-lovlng varieties of shade [rets and ornamcutgl shrubs.
Thc large ummltivatcd interior areas of Norfolk sand found norflx-
wes[ of I~atehogne~ around Sc!dm~ and ess[ward on Long Islm~d~ are
vathm' moro droughty than the average of tile type. in ~hcb' present
state [hey are bet[er suited to the production o~ melons attd sweeg
per,trees thaa [o any other crops. They possess ~ considerable value
for fl~ese crops, and as large h'acts wiflfin 3 or 4 miles of the ralh'oads
eon be pnrebased a~ from g7 to gS0 m~ aere~ they should be utilized for
the truck ]ndtts~ry as distleg'nished fi'om marital; gardeaing. Experi-
man[s wifl~ tho irrig:~[ion of sm[wherries near the soofl~ shore lmvn
yielded ~ profi[ o1~ ovet'g300 an acre. Tho seeeessfld utilizal;inn
interior t[reas of Nm'folk sand reqnires some ¢*apihd and a
knowledge of growing' special crops~ pad;ienlavly sweet polatnes and
The umLal truck re'cps call }}o grown ~o advantage on all other areas
of the Norfolk sand mapped. As montioned~ this soil is especially well
adapted te asparttgus, t{) e~trly pohttoes~ peas, early tomatoes, early
nueumbers, ami in general to the light truekiag crops.
The following mechanical analyses shiny the saedy natm'e el' this soih
ilfi.cha~dcal ,~mly.~es of Nol:l'o~k sand.
'i
Thc term Meadow is nsed in fills report to indicate any low-lying,
generally fiat m'e}[ nm'really too wet for the cnltivafion of ordinary field
orops. The .salt marshes and. sal[ me,~dows are exe]uded~ being'lnapped
as tim Galveston clay and thc Galveston sandy loam.
The meadow areas of Long Island fall into two main classes--thc
wet areas occupying hollows itl thc moraine belt (kettle holes) and the
broad, shallow, irregular depressions in tim plateau region which are
somewhat different in character from the long~ narrow belts found
along stream channels. In both cases t~he meadow condltlon is due to
obsbructcd drMnage. In tho case of the stream channels thls obstruc-
tion is consoqumd: ou a low gradient in the ehamml, followed by rank
growth of water-loviog trees und plants whose roo~s, stems, and foliage
offer an eddi[ional resis[anec to thc currcnt, ti)Ms condition emi be
removed by elcaring on[ thc vcgctt~tim~ and hy cutting a simple open
diteh~ et', better, by placing iL [ilcdrain of sufficient size eo conduc[ thc
ordim[ry Ilow (ff wa[er al(rog thelinco~thechannel~ butbeneath
ra(,e. In Ole ease oI~ tho larger s[reams a liCLle aLtengion to clearing out
undergrowth will enable [hcn~ Lo maintaht their own chenBc]8.
sLrealns can ])e conducted through open dltehcs, w}dlc stag'nan[ pools
shnuld be tapped hy bile drainage. An impeded dmlnagc of slightly
dilhu'md; chtll'ltcl;er oeeurs *thing tho eorth shore~ causing spriegy areas
aL (}r ileal: t}l¢~ Ilases ()f sleep slopcs~ especially where olay layers at*e
l)rescnt. Such areas should be relieved hy tiling' hdd parallel to Lho
Sln'ing line for thc collcekion et' ~hc seepage water~ eoenectcd with a
hu'ge outllow system, h~to which severel breeches may lead.
Tim ko,tie-hole and })road meadow ~mms of thc ghteial area are
usually surroumled completely by g rim of highdying' lm~d through
whieh a cutting is sometimes impracticable on accmm~ ef the length
or depth to which it mnst he carried. As the majority of these areas
are (bm to a local layer or bowl of nearly haporviotts loam or elay,
end as Lhis layer is :frequently thin and ne~trly always rests upon sands
m' sandy ]eants~ [hc cesspool me[hod of dralnege can l:~o nsed to advan-
tage, especially oe the smaller meadows. A well proportioned in
depth to the area to }m drained should be sunk to a layer of really
sandy soil. Tho best [a'ac~ice would [hen be to tile draie into
bricked or stoned cesspool~ bu[ when ae expedien~ must be employed,
the cesspool may he tilled with medimn-sized field s~one nearly to ~he
plow line and thee covered with earl;h. Such n makeshift
fill with llne e~rth and to give merely temporary relief.
From the standl)oiu[s of u[ili[y, health, and bctmty the meadow
areas should he druined. The larger meadow areas possess soils of
oeal'ly thc same eharaoter as thc adjoining t[rcas, though usually more
lomoy and~ when properly drained: more drought resistent aed pro-
ductivc. N(~arly all of thc areas mapped on Long Ishmd arc well
suited [o [he pr~)duction of celery, onions, c~[bbagc, mid lettuce.
No samples were t~kcn for analyses, as meadow is a sell condition
rs[her than :; definite soil body.
Thc marsh areas occurring ripen Long Island ere of three different
kinds. Two o~ these classes arc fresh-water marshes; thc third con-
stltut;cs the tide-water nmrsh along the shores. In thc upland region
of the islan~l thoro occur scattered through tho glacial area many
small ponds and kettle holes, some of which~ during the wetter per
tiou of the year, are veritltbk; litClc htkes. The ImOH'ity o1! then,, hmv-
ever, are rapidly reduced to the cnndition of bogs slid mndholes with
the advgnce o~ summer. The gre~tter p~u'l; of thcm have no
outlet, but lose their water hy scepngc and evaporatioe. A few are
used as natural cisterns ]or watering stock. The lnajori{;y m'e merely
accumul~ting beds o~ muck, furnishiHg brec(lbtg grottmls for mos-
quitoes. Somc of tim worst of tlmm occur wit;Mn t.he city liedts el'
~reater New York, neae Bayslde, Fh~shlHg, (~ormm, slid Astra'ia.
The htrger ones are reprosenh~d on Chc n.tp :ts mcndow; Im{; nmHy
map. In the majm'ity of cases a slaglc deep ctti;, with lira layiHg
few rods o~ htrgo-sizo tile, would l'tH'nish admlttal, ,ttl;hds with which
the ~tregs could readily bo draieed al; mt oxpoltse of abottl; 815 per acre
~or ditchlug and tilc. Aside front the dcsirabilii.y el' this trt~atmeetoe
the basis of eonffort and sanitation, the reclaimcd areas would possess
values o~ $~00 per ecre and upward lkn' I;he 1H'odocl.im~ of ngrlcultm'al
crops. Thc nloist, lnnc]iy areas thus rcclainmd are sdmirHbly n(hq~ted
to thc production of calm'y, oeion% and cabbages, :ue[ shnihtr hteds
locgted elsewhere in thc State have bece liras rcclainmd mm'ely for
agricultural purpose% where the Hind valae o1~ t;he tale[ has aluounted
to only one-fourth or onedleth as nmeh as the increase iH vahm which
would follow thc rcclamatioe of these bugs oH Ixmg Island.
Tho second chtss of fresh-water nm:shes on I~mlg lshmd coHslsts of
long, nar]'ow stream beds, parCicuhtrly f]'cqmm[ oH tim soul;}t s]lt)l'e.
These clmnncls nrc not the bcds o[~ existing strenlllS, ]Hit Itl'e
the survivals o1~ a nlore active draimtg'e which occupied them ut klm
close of tim Glacial epoch. The upper part, of t,lm cheetahs is n[ iH'es-
cng dry in aH erdinary seasoes. In [hc ceHI;ral pm't;im~ of the drainage
thc water table approaches near ennugh to tim surfam~ so thttl; It
staet trickle of water, not suflicicnt; to l'm'm s. dellHil:~ S{;r(qllU~ OgCttl'$
during the winter portinu nl~ the yea]:, lPn]'thcr down I}tis
marshy and whosechannels are chok~d and obstvuetml I}y dints, grmvt;hs
of hal'bago ged trees. In l;he ]najority of ettses nheosC conlpl<sl;e Iqmls-
marion would follow the removal of obsl;rucl.ing vegettttimt and I;he
digging of a few epee ditches, I}tl[ the land si, rechdHmd would Im
little agricultural valnc.
~{any thoushnd acres along both shores of l,oHg Island coHsist, of
shallow tidal llats, exposed to the air a~ lew tide nmi just *;wash wi~h
salt water at high ~ide. Over these tide lhds, which c{msisl; in lin't;
of sand mid gravel trod ie part of deep, st, icky, drab mud, eoloeies
eelgrass have spread, or arc spreading~ t; doese g'rowth of veget~[tlon.
This celgrass retards Cbc eatm'al drainagc of the fiats, entangles ]um'e
and more mud~ silt, and s~nd~ and slowly builds the umrsh to high-
tilde h~v{d. Al; the sanl{~ I;int{~ Lira eelgrass spreads set;ward, nnless its
eln~.rl)a{~im~enL is sJ;ol)p~d I~b' the destrue[ive ae~ioa of wf;ves along its
spawtll'd tna;t'gln. Al{rog tho south shore Jmnttiea I/ay, Hcml~Stead
the slmlh~wer porCions o1~ (he inlylng bays are oce[Lpied by islands and
shore I~ring't~$ nf t~ldgrnss snll; inltl'sh. Borings [sknn dnring [he prog'-
al't~l[s. [e I;l~ shallower l~O]:Cions~ and especially where the fron[ ]aad
was sandy, tLS we,lL as on Lln~ h~e side of the barrier beaches, abouC a
Ik)o& or tS in~:ltes ol] mdgmtss Intt'l~ mieglod wi[h mrLd forms the mu'face
soil of Ihe salt; marsh. ]1[ is nnderlaln by st[nd3% grt[velly loam of
ttnklloWll elept;h. This nu[Leriat was mapped as Galveston sandy loath,
whiCd~ is deserilmd elsewhere in this report. ThroughouL all the deeper
porglons of the endmynmats the eelgrass tm'f and meal t~[ttdns a thlek-
ness oP g i;o L feet, lind is und0rh~in by l;he phtstic drab and
mud to a far&her dhH~Lh of 6 to ~[0 lice[. This usutdly resgs ltpon yel-
low m' whil;e sand lind gravel. The eelgrsss i[l'eas lire interl:opted by
narl'ow, [(~l'l;tnals t;idal ~dnmn(ds, in which i;he Inttxinlttlll distance
Sl~lldy Of g'rave/ly islands rist~ t[ few feint ,dn,vn Lindr upper llmi[.
SLteh Lc &ide mnrsh are,. is (~xl;l:eeLi~ly dilli(,LIg Lo rei:[t[im. Tim })order-
bul; t;[l~ shnihu' tll{~al;]nell(; (}l~ thn islttnds ancl ]mssoeks farther ou[ in
the }rays won[d {:onsl;ii:ut;{* tm ex[rlm~ely expressive engineering 1)ropo-
sil;ion, and Ih~ la'Ollt I;o I)t~ derived front sach i;rea&ment could Im large
eel5, in t;lle i,tHneditttt~ vi~:inity o1~ tile
(['he nort. h sln)m~ I;ith~-water lnt[rshes eonsisL tdnn}s[ ea[irely o~ tri-
~tng'ular-s]tal)el[ are}ts of &lie (]alvnston clay~ with their bases presented
seltWttl'd Itlld I;}n]}[' llpexes l)elle[rlttillg' fitl' inland, in ahllosg all
[he surlMee fool or two of eelg'm~ss tnrl~ is ttaderlttle I),V :[0 or 20 fee[
of tl,~ ~Ittlvnsgon cia),. Thrnugh n(~ttl'ly evm'y olio of these mlll'shes a
single l)ro:~oune(~d tide-water channel resches back toward the apex,
xvhet'e il; receives Lhe drainage o{~ htrgo or small fresh-warm' streams.
[Fhe [we hmdward sides ol~ the tritmglo are usmdly bouaded by ra~her
high, sturdy cliffs, through which nnmy springs descend to the wa[er
level, often {~orming ~t {'ring'o o~ fresh-wi[tm' marsh veget~[tion along
the sides of Chh eolgrass. Ia several instances railroad and highway
ct)anon[ion ltl present existing' }mgween the sniff nntrsh on tim i~mdward
.side ~md tide witter oa the other side is under narrow culverts and
swlng bridges. In ahnos[ all iestmmes, if i~ were no~ for the adverse
intm'¢~si;s o1~ ti sm}ti] allnaln[ o1~ navigatioa the presoa[ points of ingress
o~ Mm tide eoald Im closed by ~[ few llottrs~ work. Wk[h ~ tidal range
FIELD OP/~RATIOI'IS OF THE BUREAU ()li' SOILS~ 1903.
of 5 to 7 fec~, which exists aloeg thc Sonnd, shove diking, tim eonatrtte-
tion of llood gates, m,d a few floodings wiCh fresh water would n;pidly
reclaim hy far the hu'ger p~;rt of alt thc north-shore marshes. If tho
f~dverse interests of navigation clm no~ bo voided, the present
tide-water chmmcls should bo dredged strMght hy scow mid
shovcl~ and the dredgings dumped on ciUmr side of t.l~e cana[~ thus
diking eft thc m~rsh into twu portions. All of the land so reclaimed
could in tho course of two or three yet[l'8 ])e washed clmrr enettgh
salt to permit tile growth of ttsptmtgtts~ onioos, m~d bects~ while
little longer time would permit tho growth of till genre'at ftu'm prod-
nets. The productiveness of such reclaimed hind is not at question for
doubt. The experience of Holhmd, Eugland~ m~d the United St,des
hns shown that such lands~ properly reclaimed ttnd handled~ are alllong
the most vahtahle known to ngriculture.
Gloucester and Salem counties~ ~. d.~ lntve roehtimed upward uf
20,000 acres of similar m~trsh hind by the constvnction of
ditches. The fresh water g}tflmred hy Um diked *treas Ilows into
broad, open ditches~ and is collected in tt hu'ge, open ditch located
little way inside of Um protecting dike. Thence it is drained out
by automatic tlood gates at low tide. In cee instance ~t Itu'ge main
ditch or caeal is used for steam unvlgatien m~ar Salem, N.d. The
New Jersey marshes wore rechfinmd merely tlmt tame grass lnlght
grown for ]my and pastttmgo in place of Um salt grass whieh hml pfc-
ceded it. The added value of Um pasturage ms[ htty mil; ]uts Idone
wavntnted [he consgrtmtion of UmSe works in It vegien where [he hind
. values range from 8,[0 to 8100 an acre. In 8OlltC few instmmes corn,
cal)bage~ tolllatoes~ onions~ celery, and et]let' crops have been
small ¢l'eas~ producing htrge yields; hut tim cx})ellSe eli i'ec[itlllttg[Olt has
been justified and has been horllc ])y the inet'ease in gntss vtdues tthmc.
Ill one errs% owillg to disputes be[ween tho hotbrds COlleel'lled
l,oclallla[ion ol] tut l[l'ea~ tho works ]u;w~ been allowed
thelt' rep*dr was a subject of discussion during Um time tint[ the Salem
are}; was heing surveyed.
~or ftu'thm' information in rogtu'd to ;he smtc. oas~ ila[l'8]l ln'oblem~
reference is made to Um U. S. Geological $urvey Sixth Ammal Reporg:
"8eaconst ~hu'shes of the United States," hy N. S. Shalcr; $lmeial
Repor~ No. 7 of the U. S. I)epartmen~ of Agrieultm'c, "Tidal Marshes
of tho United State%" by D. M. Nesbit; wu'ions repro'ts of the New
dersey Geological Survey; Tenth Anmml Report. U. 8. Geological
Survey, '~ ~resh Wfuter Morasses of the United States," by N. 8. Sludor;
"lgngineering for Land Drainage," by C. G. Elliott; mM Circular
No. 8, Bumm of 8oils, U. S. Departmeet of Agrieul;ttrc, '~ l(eclama-
tion of Sal~ Marsh Landsf' by Thomas H. Means, which circular was
written wiUt special reference to Long Island conditioes.
SOIL SUi~¥ICY OF LONe ISLAND AR]CA~ NEW YORK.
With ccrtalu rcstrlci;kms, thc character nnd condition of agricul~nrc
co l,oog Island v~n'ios ioversely with thc distaste of a glvca comnmnity
l'rom th¢~ ferry points leading to Now York City. Thc chief ia~tor
ln'odnclng It departure ~rom this rule is ~om~d in thc proximity of thc
agricultural comnmuity either to the oce~u~ or thc Sottnd. This second
l'aotor is an oklcr cue w}lloh survivcs agninst tile cncroachmcn~ of thc
lirsg. Thus, in the early days, proximity to water transportation
htrgoly influenced thc charnctm' ~tod prosperity of thc agriculturM
commnnity. Within thc last thirty years, however, thc cxtcnslvocon-
structlon of linc macadam roads lcadicg' out from Brooklyn through
Kiogs~ (~uccns~ ttnd ~assan counties has cooatcrbahtnccd the former
adv~mtagc of water transportation. Similarly, tho rapid increase ia
population within thc bounds of tho Greater New York has lcd to an
intcosillcation of farming methods generally, greatly cmphasizlog the
differences ia agrienltural method which had begun to exist oven be[crc
tlntt period. Thc inflncnco of natural soil Pereility upon crop prodttc-
ti(m, though still show~x to some degree, is nq)idly dccrcasiog in
through thc employment of largo amounts o~ oonmtcroigl fertilizer and
stable nlamtrc, and through increasing intensity o~ caltivatioa.
In ]Kings and (~ttcons counties, which arc included in thc GreaLcr
New York~ tho average size o~ ~arms at prcsen~ aolonnts [o 18 acres
and 21.6 acres~ respectively, while io Nass~ut and Snffolk the aversgc
size is 53.3 acres ~;nd 84.5 acres, respectively. Similarly, io Kings and
(~ttecos conntlos tho percentage of improved land to the total acreage
held io farms is, rcspectivcly, 92 per con5 nod 85 per ccn~: while
Nnssau i5 is 78 per cent, amd in $nffoll¢ only 47 per cool Another
iotcrcs~ing fact is fotmd in the number of square feet of land nodcr
glass in tho several cottnSios, which is as'follows: (~nccos,
Kings~ 9.~8,000; Nassan~ ~L~0,020, and Suffolk, 315,000 sqnttrc foot.
Thc above figures show thc conccn~ra~ioc of thc productkm of thc '
wu'ions classes of flowers ~;nd ~orcing-housc vegetables within thc lim-
its of thc Gre~tcr ~cw York. This extremely ioLcnsivc form of plaat
production is dependent neither upon climatic nor soil cooditions, siacc
both climate and soil ~;rc artificiMly prodoccd.
Tho farming in thc three western countlcs of Long Islaod is extremely
intensified, cvco when the productioc of flowers aad nm'scry s~ock
excluded. It consists of ~ho production of market-garden crops under
i~tcusivc conditions of farming, of the produotioa of truck crops at a
grc~;tcr distance from thc markc~, sod of thc production of special
crops, like cucnmbers, for pickling~ and asparagus, cauliflower, cab-
bagc, and potatoes for shipment by rail.
Within thc city limits unoccupied lots and tracts held for subdivision
~;re rented in small p]o~s for market-gardening and trnckiug pttrposcs.
While farmers of Amet'ie~tn birth still etlg~tgt~ in this worlc. {o tt eon-
siflerable exteet, i~ is largely carried oe by fl;aliens, t~oles~ gird Ger-
ulans. Even a few 0hinese are engaged in I;he ln'e(iuetion of nrlental
vegch;bles in Qneces County. With the ii:[Ii,ins ~tll(] [~()les, {.ho entire
faudly work in tho nmrk(~t garden, aed very iii;tie h;b(u: is hired. On
thc other markct-g~tl'dca f~t~'ms~ luauagcrs~ g~tt'tlene~'s, autd dny
ttre extensively employed, so that ie Kings and QtteCl~S e~nml;ies the
respectively. Oe these fnrms tho expent[il.u~'t~ I'o~' fertilize,' is slso
highest, ~tmountlng to 81d:.30 pin' a('l'o ()~ [rein'eyed hue[ ie ICings
Colin[3% aud $14.80 per acre in Qtteens Oount.y. il]he valtte of the land
per acre i~x Kings Couety is $1,~30; iu Queeas~ $~(;I.; [e Nassau,
~ted io Suffolk, $49. The value of l'at'ln 1)reduce not I'ot[ to llve stock
per itct'o of improved laed is, rospoctive13% $t85.25 in Kiegs~
in Queens, $38.30 ie Nass~tu, ged $~2.([5 in StLfl'olk (Jounl;y.
Tho m~trkot-gardcn farms x¥ighin tho oil;y limits a~'e usnall3, nf sm}iii
size aud are snbdlvided leto plots el' one-half o~. ont~-l~nttrl;h of nu sere~
or even less. l.~ is l.ho aim oP tire natrket gat'dene]' [:o keep sn~ne
growing aed ready for marl(et, chat'ina all e~out;hs o~ the year~ will[ t[te
exception of a Iow weeks in winl;cr, when the markellug of st:ored
crops or of I'rtti~ takes his at.tentlun. In the eat'ly spa'ina {;h¢~ lode,
spinach, ani[ rhul~arb att0 [~tteehed and faken to ma~'lie[:, lqa~'ly
ont. As radishes, lo[ere:e, s,nl eeio,ts a,'o I,t,t,ehed out f,u'
their place is taken 1)y la[el' ~l'Ol)S of l)ens: l)olatoes, and eot'~a. The
early peas, potatoes, a~al eo{:a a~'e I't'equt~nlly I'oll¢)wed I~y tomat¢)e8,
cabbage~ Si[roy t:abl)ttgc, J/aJl% sad spinach I'or lal;e ha~'ves6. Ie tho
pt'eduction of all those et:eps lat'gc amntl]tts oJ~ stable nlallUl'e ltt'l~ Ilsed.
lC is purghasod ia the city a]nl tl'nnSl)orte¢[ I;o the t's]'m either' by
by rail, or by scow, (lepending on the Io<~al;io]~ nf Ihe I~at:m.
manurt~ delivered oe the sidieg ~;t Chh nn}l'15 l'ellto{ie points eosls [~I'OlU
$1.10 to $1.fi0 per toe. Connuer(:ial l'ol%ilizers arc used iu
aero'really at the rttto of about 1~000 l)ounds l)C~' aet'e~ aLit.hough 2,000
and ~,500 pounds per acre are not inl't'cquent al)plications. Sex, et'al
farmers in the areft surveyed st:[ted that their' expeaditures I'of lal)o~'
~ted fertilizer in the prepgrtttiou of their laed ~':tege from $[~5 to ~(~0
per acre, depending on [.he chat'ac[et' of the c~'op and the intensity of
the cultivation.
The farm products within a rttdius of I'd'om ',.~0 t;o ~5 ntih.s of tho
ferries gl'O tl'gnspo~'tod to rant'kef in [a~'ge, sla~¢*iall5, ¢~{atst~'ueted two-
horse uatrket wagons. Oa col'taln of the t'{a~Ces an additional two-
horse tow, hitched te the ~'oet wIn~els o1' an o~'dlaary I'ltl'ln w~lgon~
'helps the heavily loaded market wttgnn over I;he steeD grades along the
norfl~ern shore of theishu~d. The wagons ar¢~ f~'equentlyloa(leddtt~'-
ina tho ttftornooo and nutke the journe5, at eight, returning thn uext
mornln.~. The larger farlns~ nlore remoi;e l]rom tile city~ consequently
pvodaets are sold in the clt;y to wholcs~flc or retail grocery houses and
in I;hc open nntrkct. Very llt~lc peddling is done by the producers
A notable featnre (,f l~nng' Ishmd conditions is the selection of cer-
tain desh'ahh~ localities for the nonagricnltural cmmtry seats of
wealthy New Mm'lc htmines~ men. Tho region along the north shore,
on ae{xHall; Of its elevation and proximity to the many cmbaymcnts
leading ottt; from Lmlg Island Sound, has long been a favorite resi-
dnncc sect;itoh NVil.hln recent years 5he inos~ desirable Ioc~;tlons have
/)een pttrchascd ~d; vahtcs ot~ from $500 to ~6~()()0 per aere, and tho new
owners ha.v~ (mlph>yed landscape architects, fro'esters, and gardeners
in t,Jn~ hnl)lq)V{~lllOlll; alia ilmnllgt)alClli; o[ their estakes. More recently
t;hc high mtmdmtl ridges have been selected :for country seats of large
siz% and t;Imir care *tnd hnpl'OVtMni~nl; havc involved the expeadi~urc of
large sums el' rummy for Ittinn'~ fertilizers, shrubbery, and general
improvenmnts. A ]most the imtlro southern shore is oeeupled by a con-
tintmus belt ~ff siilllln(~r rl~si(hmcestmd samnmr-rcsorttowns. In almost
any other regi(m i.he {dl'ect of t;hese conditions would result ~n marked
eh:that,s in ag'ri(~nil;ur~ and hi a s[imulation o~ agTicultm'c [hrough thc
inercas(~ in ilntrket I'acilil;ies. On Long [shred tho ilmllcnso influence
nf tim grea[ oil6, ntarhe[ a[ its western end minimizes these local con-
difions, and they si,fir to conlparal;ivc insignificance.
Aside h'om I;he markc[-garden and h'uek interests of Long Island,
wlfieh are htrgcly confined to tim westera connfies, ~he production
o[ white potatoes is the chie~ indusCry. The mos[ importan~ po[ato-
raising' rcglnn lies oa[skh~ tim limits of
ext;i'mlm {ms[em end of f;he ishmd. Many potatoes, however, are pro-
dueed ie N~mmm Counl;y and in westm'a Suffolk Com~y. On aecoun[
of tim extra,sire use of fertilizers variations in yield are dependen~
upon varlet;ions in soil types. In general, a fMrly good season will
show a yield of abnui; 200 bodmls per acre. Oa tim smaller farms
yields ol~ 230 to 250 bushels per acrn are frequently reported. The
influence of tim Long Ishmd yield upon nmrkct prices is mos[ strongly
fcl~ dnring thc month (ff September. As a rcsul[, the producfioa of
early po[crees is more tn bn desired tlnm a lin'get yield and · later
crop. Tho earliest pohttocs are produced upon [he more sandy types
of soil, espcei~tlly upon tim Norfolk sram area sonthcast of Hemps[earl.
Larger crops of later potatoes come froln thc Sassafras gravelly loam
and thc Hempstead loam. The Sasstffras gravelly loam may perhaps
bc considered thc chief potato soil of Long Island.
Tho produefiOl~ o[ cneumbers for pickling hoases constitutes an
important phase of agriculture in the region around Hieksville and
Faro6n.,_,'dah,, The Alton stony lo:mt and the Sassafras gravelly loam
duclitm of aq)aragus is htrgt,ly h)calized around Oyster Bay, where
snlal{ area ,)f Ihe Nm'fl)lk sand is chiefly devoted to Ibis erol).
Alton stony loam is also adapted t,, its
Th,~ fl'ttil iolereMs of Long Island are no~ of gt'ea6 magnitude. Th~
moraimtl hills through Ihe ecntor of I.he ishtnd hcmr many old apple
Thc chief I)~:tch districL lies in th¢~ Ilalfway llollow Hills, whero
,m flu~ plains n~,:u' llicksville and llempstead. The Sassafras gn;velly
in Maryland and N,~w ,[erst~y to offer ~oil conditions well adapted to
profital,h~ culturtr of th¢~se crops on the {)'l)C~ as it oectu's on Long
lshmd. ~ fl~w new orchards of in)ars, ehieily l{ielrers, have been
phtntcd in Ihe vieinily of Ilunfington. They have gq'own well and
on this type shmtld meeL with lmmOUnced success. IL is ltls¢, well
Tho following adaptation of crops to soils is 1)roposed as a result of
the obSel'Vlllions Illade during the llrOg'l'eSs of l]lo stli'vo3':
Thc Miami sion)' loam is lmrtieularly adapted to grass and grain
and to aplACS and pears among the fruits. It is not infrequently
desh':tbh~ to underdraln lhis tS'p¢~ by lho use of tile.
Thc Alton slony loam is suited to the production ol' early potatoes,
'l'ln~ Plainwcll stony loalu in InosL eltses is not suited Io agrlenltm'al
some Iocalitics~ whero it is not: t,~. dry~ it might he devoted to pe:teh
Tho 1 [~mq~ste:td lo:mi of the llempstoad plain is one of tho best gan-
er;ti farming s~fils of tho island. It constituted the only largo prairie
ri~giou east of the Alleglmny Mountains. It is well adnpted to the
produclioa of gntss and grain, to tho cultivation of fl~e lat0r truck
crops and potatoes, and to tlm later market-giu'don produeo, such
The llempstead gravelly loam is adatpted to about the Sfllno crops as
the tlempstcad loam, thoogh requiring heavier fertilization, and even
SOIL SUI%VEY 01~ L01~O ISLAND AREAl I~EW YORK, 41
The Sassafras gravelly lot~.m will produce a wide' rtmgc of f~rm
crops, with only average yields. It is especially adapted to thc pro-
duetiou of potatoes, tmm~toes, and the smnll varictics of sngur corn.
It also gives fair yields of cucumbers, cabb~gc, caulillowcr, m~d onions.
It is well adupted to Iht production of peaehes~ plmns~ chcrrlcs~ blaek-
hm'ries, raspberries, currants, m~d struwhcrries. Its chief require-
nlcnl; is thc annuul Jncorporatlou of large amouets of organic matter.
Green re'eps shouhl he plowed m~der and stable manure liberally
appllcd.
Tim Norfolk sand is thc chief early trucking soil of thc eatirc
Atlan[ie teas[ region. On Long Island it eousists of three closely
related phases. The most prominent of these is thc leos% purous,
yellow sired of Cbc southm'n plain per[ion o~ thc island, which is so
extensively covered with sm'nb oak and pitch pine. Its presen~ lack
of agrlmdtural vuhm is ehlcfly tine to thc considerable depth n[ which
the watcr table lies. Where thc water hal)lc npproaches nem'cv to thc
surface, ns along thc sou[horn shop% thc sell is slightly more loamy,
and its high agricultural value as a trucking soil is clearly recognized.
Upon this second phase very early crops of peas, corn, potatoes, aspar-
ngus~ hects~ carrots, parsnips~ nnd rhubarb arc produced. A few small
fields of alfalfa were seen iu excelleat cm~ditien, and gcucml ~arm
crops do fairly well. Thc third phase, fmmd in thc vicinity o~ Haup-
paugc, is slightly finer iu texture, and a little more retentive of moist-
urc than either of thc others. It constitutes a fairly early truck soil,
and would be well adapted to thc production of sweet potatoes and
melons.
Thc Snssafras sandy loam occurs only in mnali areas in Kings County,
and is well adapted to market gardening and trucking.
Thc Norfolk coarse sandy loam~ nndcr present conditions, is almost
cntlrely overgrown hy scrub oak und pitch pine. Withou~irrigatioa ii
pnsscsses low agricultural value~ though, like thc Norfolk sand, i[ ylclds
fair crops where thc water table is near the snrfacc. A considerable
propor~iou of this type could be irrigated from wells at a small expense,
and would thou be suited to the produetlou of small frmts nu([ truck
crops. Its barrenness is to a great degree due to a lack of sufficient
nloisture.
Thc Norfolk coarse sand, Galveston sand~ and Nm'folk gravel are not
suited to agricultural purposes, and should be reforested and not
included h~ farm lands.
3.leadow, Galveston clay, and GMveston sandy loam arc types which
can only be used for agricultural purposes after extensive dikiag and
drainage operatious. These ara considered iea separate chapter.
Thc most striking features of Long Island agriculture arc the h~llu-
cnec of an immense local market, giving risc to intensive (:nl[tvatiou
on thc western end olt the island, the survival of oldm' methods of
agrlculturc at more remote points, thc occup~tion of p~rticularly
dcsirablc locl~litlcs for country rcsidcncc m~d sunmmr rcsort purposcs~
ttnd thc ~dmost utter abaudonmcnt of thc most stmdy types of soil ou
account of typically eastern descrg eondi~ions~ even though thc rainfi;ll
amounts to more than 40 hmhcs per year. This hitter phase is the
mom mmccount~bla, as small loc~d irrigation phtnts hr[ye shown the
capahili[ics of soils when sufficient water is fimfishcd. Mot'cover,
ahnos[ thc entire area is underhdn by water-bearing stmt~[ at ~; depth
of from 20 to 50 feet.
In some respects Long Ishmd displays a eonecntmgion m~d progress
in ~[gricultura which migh[ well he imitated iu other seet;ious, hut t;
large par[ o~ thc are}[ surveyed is in the same eondltim~ as Jim al)ml-
doned hind of Iht Connceticu[ V~tllcy :md other eastern regions.