CHAPTER VII

MEANING OF TERMS -- NON-GLACIATED PORTION-- RESIDUAL UPLAND SOIL -- ROCKS -- SHALE, LIMESTONE, SANDSTONE -- HORIZONTAL STRATA -- EROSION-- TOPOGRAPHY -- SOIL SERIES -- RESIDUAL SOILS -- SOIL TYPES -- OSWEGO SILT LOAM -- SUMMIT SILT LOAM -- BATES SILT LOAM -- CRAWFORD SILT LOAM -- BATES LOAM -- BOONE FINE SANDY LOAM -- OSAGE CLAY -- OSAGE SILT LOAM

The term soil as here used means the "top stratum of the earth's crust, whence plants derive their mineral food. It also contains a certain proportion of humus substances derived from the decayed organic matter of plants which have grown on it." There is no purpose to discuss the geology of the county in this chapter or under this subhead. But in order to understand somewhat about our soil it is necessary to keep the meaning of the word "soil" and the word "silt" clearly in mind. "Silt" means "a fine mixture or deposit of clay and sand from running or standing water; or fine soil deposited from water -- mud, slime, sediment." With these definitions of soil and silt you may intelligently follow the experts on soil as they have found it in Bates county. The glacial forces which moved and deposited soils over wide territories to the north of us barely crossed the Missouri river, but did not reach this county. But that is the story of geology.

Bates county lies within the non-glaciated part of the Western prairie region. Its upland soil is therefore residual, or derived from the immediately underlying rock. The rocks of this region belong to the Pennsylvania division of the Carboniferous age and consist of interbedded shale, sandstone and limestone. Shale is the predominating rock and may vary from argillaceous to arenaceous in the different beds or even in the same stratum, while the layers of limestone and sandstone are comparatively thin and uniform. Faulting or folding of these rocks is nowhere in evidence, the strata lying nearly horizontal, with only a slight dip to the northwest. It is apparent that were the present surface level the soil would be practically the same all over the county. Such a condition, however, has been prevented by erosion, the result being that with the differences in elevation the different strata of rock have been exposed to the processes of weathering and soil formation. As the different kinds of rock give rise to widely varying soils, it is easily seen that topography is a very important factor in the location of any particular kind of soil.

Soils of different texture -- that is, composed of different proportions of sand, silt, clay, etc., but closely related through source of material, method of formation, coloration, and other characteristics -- constitute a soil series. Some of the soils of the area are of rather local occurrence and of questionable relationship and are given local names.

A distinction is made between the residual soils, according as they are derived from shales and sandstone or from limestone. The shale and sandstone have entered more largely into the soils of the county than the limestone and have given rise to soils of three series and to one miscellaneous type more or less closely related thereto. The Boone silt loam and the Boone fine sandy loam are characterized by very light gray surface soils, the Bates silt loam and Bates loam by gray surface soils, and the Summit silt loam and Summit clay by dark-gray or nearly black surface soils. The distinguishing feature of the Oswego silt loam is the presence of a so-called hard-pan in the subsoil. The limestone gives rise to the Crawford silt loam previously mapped in Kansas.

The colluvial class of soils is represented by the Sedgwick black clay loam, which in its material is closely related to the Summit soils.

The bottom land or alluvial soils are related to each other in the source of their material and the manner of their formation, but differ in respect to color, position, and elevation in the bottoms.

The Osage silt loam occupies the creek bottoms and higher elevations along the larger streams, while the Osage clay occupies the depression in the wider bottoms and belongs to a series characterized by the dark color of the soils. Very little sandy material or loam was found in these alluvial deposits and the loam type was not recognized, though certain phases of the Osage silt loam approximated a soil of lighter texture. There are along some of the streams areas locally called second bottom. There is every reason to believe, however, that the materials here are not of alluvial origin and the soils are therefore grouped with the upland types. Along some of the smaller streams there exist a few areas of true terrace deposits, but these were so limited that they could not be shown in the map of the scale used.

The reader's attention is here called to the evident fact that the soil experts or surveyors referred to the river Marais des Cygnes and its bottoms rather than to the Osage river proper, which river forms only about ten miles of the south line of Bates county. What is said by them doubtless applies to the bottom soil on the north side of the Osage river in Bates county as well as to the bottoms of the Marais des Cygnes, which they apparently treated as the Osage, or the continuation of it. With this explanation you can understand what is meant by "Osage silt."

The following table gives the name and extent of each of the types of soil found in Bates county:

Oswego silt loam -- 200,192 acres -- 36.1%

Summit silt loam -- 152,512 acres -- 27.5%

Osage silt loam -- 71,808 acres -- 12.9%

Bates silt loam -- 50,880 acres -- 9.3%

Osage clay -- 23,232 acres -- 4.2%

Bates loam -- 21,888 acres -- 3.9%

Summit clay -- 14,976 acres -- 2.7%

Crawford silt loam -- 11,072 acres -- 2.0%

Sedgwick black clay loam -- 2,496 acres -- 0.5%

Rough stony land -- 1,984 acres -- 0.4%

Boone silt loam -- 1,984 acres -- 0.3%

Boone fine sandy loam -- 960 acres -- 0.2%

Total: 554,240 acres

Oswego silt loam -- The characteristics by which the Oswego silt loam is easily distinguished from the other types of the area are its prairie vegetation, gray color, ashy feel, level surface, and the sharp line of demarcation between soil and subsoil. The surface soil consists of eight to ten inches of dark-gray, rather loose structural silt loam, which when wet becomes a very dark gray or almost black but when dry is very much lighter colored. It is locally known as "white ashy land." The subsurface soil from ten to eighteen inches is always lighter colored, contains very much less organic matter, and has a slightly higher clay content than the surface soil and as a consequence tends to clod considerably. It also becomes quite compact and hard when dry. Immediately below this material lies the heavy, compact, somewhat tenacious silty clay subsoil which extends to a depth of thirty-six inches where it becomes friable and crumbly, decreasing in clay content. From eighteen to twenty-eight inches this material is usually much darker than the overlying soil, frequently being almost black, and rapidly changes to a grayish yellow with a faint greenish tinge.

The soil type consists of two distinct phases that are universally recognized not only by the student of soils but by the farmers who occupy it. The difference between the two phases is one of structure rather than texture, yet it is one of great importance in the agricultural utilization of the soil. One phase is the flat-land phase and the other the rolling-land phase. In both the surface soil is a gray silt, and in both this is underlain by a darker, tougher, more clayey substance. In the flat-land phase, however, the boundary between the surface and sub-surface is a very sharp one; in the other it is more indefinite. In the former the subsurface is a hard, tough, dark brownish-clay with some red mottlings. In the latter it is a dark brownish-gray silty clay, usually without the red mottling and usually neither so hard nor so tough as the former. In the former the subsoil is a yellowish-gray to bluish-gray silty clay, with a yellowish to brownish mottling, but considerably less tough than the subsurface. In the latter the subsoil is a yellowish-gray silty clay much more nearly uniform in color than that of the former phase.

The rolling-land phase has much better surface drainage than the other and its underground drainage is also better. Its color also is usually somewhat darker.

The rolling-land phase constitutes much the larger area of this type in the county. Practically all of the type in the southwestern corner of the county belongs in it and all the eastern part of the great area of this soil that lies west and northwest of Butler.

The main flat-land areas are in a belt running northeast and southwest through Adrian, along the foot of the third terrace, in the southeastern corner of the county.

The farmers will admit that the flat-land phase is "hard-pan" land, but they will not admit that the rolling-land phase can be correctly designated by that term.

The Oswego silt loam is the most extensive soil type in Bates county, occurring in every township. It is the predominating type in the northwestern two-thirds, where it occupies many entire sections. It also occurs extensively in the southwestern and southeastern townships. The area, of its least development lies from Pleasant Gap northward to the county line.

The type is intimately associated with level or undulating topography and is always limited by a rolling surface whether that surface lies above or below the general level of a given area. It occupies the wider divides, gentle slopes, and the rather low-lying so-called "second bottoms" along the rivers. The last named position is the lowest level at which the type is developed and includes elevations in the uplands from below seven hundred fifty feet to something over eight hundred feet. Its highest elevation reaches more than one thousand feet in the northwest corner, and the remainder of the type from a little below eight hundred fifty feet to more than nine hundred feet above sea level.

Though perfectly flat areas are not frequent and there is apparently fall enough to afford good surface drainage, the damage done to crops by excess of moisture is very great. The heavy subsoil is to some extent accountable for this, as it greatly retards the downward movement of drainage waters. This trouble can be largely relieved by tile drains, which, though results might not be immediate, would ultimately break up the close structure of this material naturally loose and crumbly when exposed to the air. Narrow, open ditches or even furrows would be effective in draining many of the small depressions in which corn is a failure in wet seasons. There is sufficient fall in almost every case for the proper construction of drainage systems. In a few instances where tile drains have been installed they have given good results.

The formation of the Oswego silt loam is not clearly understood in its details. It is evidently connected with shale formations, as it is underlain at greater depth by silt shale rock and it would seem that the subsoil at least was derived therefrom. But the formation of the eighteen inches of light soil can hardly be explained by residual processes alone, because of the great difference between it and the underlying subsoil and the sharp line of demarcation between the two. The dark color in the upper portion of the subsoil suggests that it may be due to an accumulation of organic matter at a time when it was the surface soil and that the overlying material is a later deposit. But the differences in elevations at which the type is found would preclude the theory of water deposit and the material is somewhat different from that heretofore recognized as loess or windblown. It is possible to account for it by translocation or gradual movement of the finer particles from the surface to the subsoil, though the sudden change in material almost refutes that theory. That the subsoil is largely residue material from the underlying shale seems fairly certain but that there has been some other process involved in the surface and subsurface soil is also plain, but what it is is still a matter of conjecture.

The original vegetation of this type was prairie grass, which grew very rank. Timber growth was probably prevented by prairie fires. All the general crops of the area are grown extensively on this soil. Corn is the leading crop, and more white corn is grown than yellow, it being the general impression that white corn will yield better than yellow on the "thinner" soils.

Besides drainage, two main factors controlling crop production on this soil are the maintenance of a supply of organic matter and the conservation of moisture. When the prairie sod was first broken an abundance of organic matter had accumulated from the roots of the prairie grass. The soil was then loose and open, but through many years of constant cultivation the original supply of humus has been largely depleted, and, as a consequence, the soil particles have become more or less compact, thus indicating rapid capillarity and the loss of soil moisture at a time when it is most needed. The deficiency of humus is also largely responsible for the cold, soggy condition sometimes found in the type. In other ways, the loss of humus has been detrimental to crop production, and the addition of vegetable matter will do much toward improving this type. The humus content can best be increased by applying stable manure or by plowing under cowpeas, clover, manure or any green manuring crop. The deeper this can be incorporated in the white subsurface soil the better will be the results. Because of its effect upon the soil drainage, the heavy subsoil is usually regarded as a detriment, but it may really be advantageous in that it prevents leaching. An examination has been made of a field which had been fallowed and a dust mulch constantly maintained, and during the driest part of the summer, when the crops were suffering for moisture, it was found that the soil and subsoil were so moist that the change from subsurface to subsoil was scarcely discernible. In this connection it is strongly recommended that the cultivation of corn be continued with one-horse shallow cultivators beyond the time when it is usually "laid by" and well into the season, thereby conserving moisture for the crop at a time when it needs much and usually gets little.

The Summit silt loam is one of the most important soil types of the area. The surface soil is uniformly very dark gray or black, rather heavy silt loam which may vary in depth from six to twenty inches, though averaging about ten inches deep. A distinguishing characteristic of this material is its constant tendency to granulate or break up into small aggregates, with the result that it does not run together, pack, bake, or crack. The subsoil is quite variable. Immediately below the surface soil, usually at about ten inches, the material becomes lighter colored and slightly heavier, though maintaining the granular structure to about twenty inches, at which point granulation usually disappears and the clay content increases rapidly with depth, the deeper portion being a yellowish or greenish tinged, gray silty clay, or clay loam very similar to the deep subsoil of the Oswego silt loam. An extensive phase of the subsoil occurs in which the material is not heavier than a clay loam and the color a yellowish-gray mottled with reddish brown or brownish red. The granular structure is maintained to some extent in this phase throughout the soil profile. Outcrops of limestone rock are frequently found and small, rounded chert gravel are locally disseminated through the subsoil. Small iron concretions also frequently occur and are largely responsible for the mottled condition of the phase.

Though there is no township in which some of this type does not occur, the most extensive areas lie to the south and east of Butler and in the northeast part of the county.

The topography is generally rolling, the type occupying narrow ridges and slopes and higher mounds. It occasionally continues over rather flat areas lying between ridges, and flat areas also occur on the type of the higher elevations. The prevailing topography insures fairly thorough natural drainage, but the character of the soil is such that water does not penetrate it as rapidly as is often desired, and in many places tile drainage would be very beneficial, not only in removing surplus water, but in aerating the soil.

The greater part of the type occurs in the breaks of streams, where the elevations are from eight hundred fifty to nine hundred feet or below that of the greater part of the Oswego silt loam, though the areas in the northwest corner and around the mounds lie above the greater part of the latter type, the elevations there being from nine hundred fifty to one thousand feet.

Locally, the Summit silt loam is known as "black limestone land" implying that it is derived from limestone rock, which, however, is not the case. It is a residual soil formed from strata of shale, above and below which occur thin strata of limestone which frequently outcrop and give the type its local name. The limestone has probably contributed some material to the soil, but the proportion of such material is relatively small. The uniformly dark or black color of the soil is probably due more or less to the thin layer of black shale which immediately underlies the limestone. In low spots on some of the more level areas of this type a white crust was seen closely resembling alkali, but these areas were small and of little consequence.

This is the best upland corn soil in the county and is usually so regarded. The mellow surface, good drainage, and heavy subsoil fit it especially for this crop. By many it is considered the best wheat soil of the area also, but if Oswego silt loam is properly handled it will probably outrank this soil in the quality and yield of wheat.

That portion of the type originally timbered produces good tobacco. Just what influence the timber has had is not understood, but the fact remains that where timber has stood the soil will produce good tobacco, while the prairie will not.

Bates silt loam -- The soil of the Bates silt loam is a loose, mellow silt loam of a dark-gray color to a depth of eight to ten inches, at which depth it becomes a yellowish-gray, mellow silt loam. When wet this material has a peculiar mushy feel, but when puddled and allowed to dry it becomes very hard and compact. The deeper portion of the surface soil, which apparently contains less organic matter than the overlying material, has a tendency to run together. There is frequently a rapid graduation between the subsurface soil and the subsoil which is found at a depth of twenty to thirty-six inches. It is a yellow and red mottled clay which becomes slightly heavier with depth, and is seldom plastic or sticky though frequently somewhat tenacious. When dry it becomes quite hard and impenetrable. The heaviest phase approaches closely the mottled subsoil phase of the Summit silt loam and in places where a part of the surface soil has been removed by erosion the land is likely to be confused with the Boone silt loam. The largest area of Bates silt loam lies in the vicinity of Hudson, in the southeastern part of the county. It occurs, however, in all parts of the county associated with the Oswego silt loam. It lies both immediately above and below that type, particularly in its lowest lying areas, and is separated from it by rather distinct boundaries. It is also frequently associated with the Bates loam, areas too small to be shown on the map being quite commonly developed in that type.

Areas of this soil form hill slopes, narrow ridges, and low elevations, along the breaks and streams, and in low places in the main body of the Oswego silt loam. While its topography for the most part favors thorough drainage, along the boundaries with the Oswego silt loam it is very frequently wet and soggy, owing to the accumulation of seepage waters which flow out of the latter soil along the surface of the compacted subsoil. The same conditions are found where water is obstructed in its downward course by shale and sandstone strata in the subsoil of the Bates loam. So far but little effort has been made to tile drain these seepy areas, though this would be entirely feasible.

The Bates silt loam is a residual soil formed by the disintegration of soft shale which immediately underlies it. The material is closely allied to the Oswego silt loam, but being modified by drainage conditions has developed its characteristic differences. Much of this soil was originally timbered, though some was also in prairie. Most of it has been cleared, but along the streams some hickory, sycamore, and oak still remain.

The ease with which the soil can be cultivated, its rather heavy subsoil, and ability to hold fertilizers make it a popular and valuable soil for general farming.

The Crawford silt loam, locally known as "red land," consists of about ten inches of dark brownish gray to dark-brown silt loam, underlain by a rather dark brownish-red subsoil, which becomes heavier and more intense in color with depth until at thirty-six inches it is a nearly red, somewhat plastic and sticky clay. Except for the slight brownish cast the soil closely resembles that of Summit silt loam, being granular and mellow, which makes it easily tilled. It is usually well supplied with organic matter.

The subsoil is underlain with limestone rock which is frequently struck in boring at from twenty-four to thirty-six inches. The type is frequently found in isolated areas within bodies of the Summit silt loam, particularly in the region north of Pleasant Gap and in the northwest part of the county.

Stratigraphically the most of the type is developed immediately above the shale which gives rise to the Summit silt loam and below the shale from which the Bates loam and the Oswego silt loam are derived. It is found on gentle slopes and narrow ridges and has a level to undulating topography and good natural drainage. The subsoil is no doubt true limestone material derived from the underlying rock, but the soil represents a mixture of shale material washed from, or the remnants of, the Summit silt loam or Oswego silt loam, with material of limestone origin.

The type is now practically all under cultivation or in pasture or mowing. It has all the essential characteristics of a corn soil and is considered by many as the best corn-producing soil of the area. The yields are about the same as on the Summit silt loam. Corn yields thirty-five to forty bushels, wheat twelve to eighteen bushels, oats fifteen to twenty bushels, and hay one to one and one-half tons to the acre.

The Bates loam is more or less variable in its texture and color as well as in depth. The typical soil consists of about eight inches of loose structured light loam, which is brown when moist, but becomes a light gray when thoroughly dry, though often the color is a very dark gray to almost black. The texture is often very fine, closely resembling the Bates silt loam and also the Boone fine sandy loam, and areas too small to map of both of these types occur within the boundaries of the Bates loam. The soil is usually mellow and easily tilled, but after heavy rains there is a tendency to form a surface crust which, however, is easily broken up.

The subsoil is usually a solid buff color, though areas with mottled red and yellow occur. The texture is usually a fine sandy clay loam or clayey loam, quite gritty from its sand content and yet made sticky by clay. The percentage of silt is relatively low. Arenaceous shale resembling in color the subsoil is encountered at depths ranging from eighteen to forty-eight inches. This material is soft and appears very sandy, but on crumbling and rolling between the fingers becomes very fine.

The largest areas of the Bates loam lie east of Butler, around Sprague and in the vicinity of Foster. It is also extensively developed in the northeast corner. It usually occupies ridges and knolls and in the rougher sections occurs as a distinct terrace. It is found to a slight extent on slopes and in flat areas near the base of hills.

Stratigraphically in the hilly regions it lies immediately above the limestone soil if developed, otherwise, it is found above the Summit clay. It is usually the highest soil, though areas of Bates silt loam and Oswego silt loam sometimes lie at a higher level. Because of its topographic position and texture the natural drainage is nearly everywhere good, and on this account it out-yields the other types in wet years.

The Bates loam is derived from the disintegration of arenaceous shale and sandstone strata in the main shale formation, and the variations in the type are largely due to variations in the contributing material augmented by washing and drainage.

Originally areas of this soil formed a part of the prairie. It is now devoted to general farm crops and market gardening. Corn yields from thirty to thirty-five bushels, wheat ten to fifteen bushels, flax six to eight bushels, and oats ten to twenty bushels per acre. Considerable trucking is done, and the soil is admirably adapted to that purpose. Watermelons are produced at considerable profit.

The supply of organic matter over most of the type is deficient. The supply of humus and organic matter should be incorporated with the soil as rapidly as possible. This will increase crop production by conserving moisture, an important matter, as the crops are likely to be injured by drought. The use of commercial fertilizers, especially in the growing of truck, has been found beneficial.

The soil is usually regarded as acid, and quite a sharp reaction was obtained in both soil and subsoil with litmus paper, indicating that rather heavy applications of lime should be made.

The Boone fine sandy loam consists of about eight inches of gray, loose structured, and rather incoherent fine sandy loam, underlain after a rapid gradation by a clayey loam or fine sandy clay loam the upper portion of which is mottled gray and buff rapidly changing to red with depth. Sandstone or arenaceous shale rock underlies the subsoil at from ten to thirty inches. Mica flakes and some sandstone and shale fragments occur in both soil and subsoil, and the latter occasionally on the surface. Owing to its friable porous texture this soil can be worked under a wide range of moisture conditions. Only a limited area of this type of soil occurs in Bates county. The largest area is found south of Butler and west of Peru. A few areas too small to be indicated on the soil map are included with the Bates loam.

The type occupies narrow ridges and rather abrupt slopes and consequently has very thorough drainage. It is derived from a micaceous, arenaceous shale and sandstone which are quite soft and easily crumbled. On the slopes, which are usually quite sandy, washing has probably removed some of the finer material and left the sand.

The quantity of organic matter is even less in this soil than in the Bates loam and must be greatly increased to secure the best results. In order to grow clover it will be necessary to give the fields heavy applications of lime to correct acidity, as litmus-paper tests showed the soil to be decidedly acid.

Our readers will understand that every reference in the following to the Osage river bottoms should be read Marais des Cygnes. The soil surveyors mapped it as the Osage river. And it should be remembered that the survey from which we are quoting liberally was made in 1908, ten years ago.

The Osage clay consists of about eighteen inches of black, heavy, silty clay or clay which grades into a bluish-drab clay subsoil. There is frequently but little change from the soil to the subsoil, both being very plastic, sticky and tenacious when wet. When dry the surface becomes quite granular and mellow. In the vicinity of old lake beds the subsoil is slightly mottled with brown and is not quite so heavy as over the greater part of the type.

This is a bottom-land soil found in the wide bottoms of the Osage river, in the narrow bottoms of the Grand river along the northeast boundary of the county, and in two small areas in the Miami creek bottoms. It occupies the lowest levels in the county and the topography is flat. The areas are usually lower near the bluffs and higher near the streams, from which they are separated by a narrow band of Osage silt loam. The soil has been formed by the deposition of the finer sediments carried by the several streams along which it is found. Its black color is due to the accumulation of relatively large quantities of decaying vegetable remains, mostly the stems and roots of coarse grasses.

The greater part of the Osage clay is now covered with a rank growth of prairie grass, which is usually cut. Some parts support forests of water-loving oaks and pecan. In the timbered areas the soil is somewhat looser in structure, and the surface is usually gullied. Such areas if cleared would be difficult to cultivate.

Underdrainage, although expensive on account of the need of running the drains at close intervals, is particularly advantageous in having the close structural characteristic of the Osage clay, as it tends to make the soil more open and friable.

This is a typical corn soil. Though not much corn has yet been produced on it, with thorough drainage yields of seventy-five to one hundred bushels per acre may be expected. Unless it is found that wheat makes too rank a growth the land should also produce large yields of that grain. It will probably be difficult to make it suitable for alfalfa. Some broom corn is produced on the type but it is too coarse to be of first quality.

The Osage silt loam is the most variable type of soil in the county. The surface soil is usually a light gray, slightly compact, silt loam ranging in depth from eight to twenty-four inches. This material in most instances grades into a heavy silt loam subsoil of somewhat darker color, though it may be underlain by a drab clay loam or in some cases by a black clay. The areas of any one phase are so small that separation seemed impossible, and characteristics other than being a light-colored silt loam on the surface were ignored in mapping. Some small spots of loam were found, but their total area was so small that a separation was not made.

The type occurs in all the stream bottoms and is broken in the wider bottoms only by the Osage clay. Along the Grand and Osage rivers it occupies the slightly elevated land next to the stream channels. It is largely alluvial material deposited in times of overflow, but some areas adjoining the upland probably contain material which has been washed down over the Osage clay and now forms the subsoil. Alfalfa should do particularly well. Some of the type would be benefited by tile drainage and by incorporating vegetable matter in the soil.

Twelve types of soil were mapped in the county. Most of these were residual, or derived from underlying rock formation. The others were alluvial soils, forming the bottoms along the streams.

The Oswego silt loam, locally known as "white ashy clay" is the predominant type, and occupies level or undulating uplands. It is well adapted to wheat, oats and hay. The type is deficient in organic matter, and the drainage should be improved.

The Summit silt loam, called "black limestone land," is not a limestone soil, but is derived from shale. It is a typical corn soil, and wheat also yields well. The Crawford silt loam is a reddish limestone soil with good drainage. It is an excellent corn soil.

The Bates loam and the Boone fine sandy loam, locally called "sandy soils," are adapted to market gardening and are so used.

The Summit clay is a heavy black soil of relative small extent and is mostly timbered.

The Bates silt loam is a brownish-gray soil with a mottled subsoil. It occurs along slopes near streams and is a good grass and general farming soil.

The Sedgwick black clay loam would be a corn soil if well drained.

The Boone silt loam is of relatively small importance, occurring as timbered land along streams.