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Major fieldwork for this soil survey was done in the period 1962-65. Soil names and descriptions were approved in 1966. Unless otherwise indicated, state- ments in this publication refer to conditions in the county in 1966. This survey was made cooperatively by the Soil Conservation Service, the Forest Ser- vice, and the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station. It is part of the tech- nical assistance furnished to the East Otero, West Otero, and Tirnpas Soil Con- servation Districts. Either enlarged or reduced copies of the soil map in this publication can be made by commercial photographers, or they can be purchased on individual order from the Cartographic Division, Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 20250. HO'I TO USE THIS SOIL SURVEY TIllS SOIL SURVEY contains information that can be applied in managing farms and ranches; in select- ing sites for roads, ponds, buildings, and other structures; and in judging the suitability of tracts of land for farming, industry, and recreation. Locating Soils All the soils of Otero County are shown on the detailed map at the back of this pub 1 ication. This map consists of many sheets that are made from aerial photographs. Each sheet is numbered to cor- respond with a number on the Index to Map Sheets. On each sheet of the detailed map, soil areas are outlined and are identified by a symbol. All areas marked with the same symbol are the same kind of soil. The soil symbol is inside the area if there is enough room; otherwise, it is outside and a pointer shows where the symbol belongs. Finding and Using Information The "Guide to Mapping unitsl' can be used to find infonnation. This guide lists all the soils of the county in alphabetic order by map symbol and gives the capability classification of each. It also shows the page where each soil is described and the page for the range site in which the soil has been placed. Individual colored maps showing the relative suitability or degree of limitation of soils for many specific purposes can be developed by using the soil map and the information in the text. Translu- cent material can be used as an overlay over the soil map and colored to show soils that have the same limitation or suitability. For example, soils that have a slight limitation for a given use can be colored green, those with a moderate limitation can be colored yellow, and those ,dth a severe limita- tion can be colored red. Farmers and those who Iwrk with farmers can learn about use and management of soils from the soil descriptions and from the discussions of the capabil- ity units and range sites. Community planners and others can read about soil areas as sites for picnics, camping, and other recreation in the section "r-lanagement of ......._ Soils for Recreation.!l Game managers, sportsmen, and others can find information about soils and wildlife in the section l'Management of Soils for Wi ldl i fe. II Ranchers and others can find, under IIManagement of Soils for Range, II groupings of the soils accord- ing to their suitability for range, and also the names of many of the plants that grow on each range site. Foresters and others can refer to the section llManagement of Soi ls for h'oodland and Windbreaks, II where soils that are better suited to trees are mentioned, and trees and shrubs suitable for plant- ing are named. Engineers and builders can find, under llEngineer- ing Uses of the Soils, It tables that contain esti- mates of soil properties and information about soil features that affect engineering practices. Scientists and others can read about how the soils formed and how they are classified in the section IlFormation and Classification of the Soils,.1I Newcomers in Otero County may be especially in- terested in the section IlGeneral Soil r-1ap," where broad patterns of soils are described. They may also be interested in the information about the county given in the section "General Nature of the County. II Cover picture: clay loam, 0 to Furrow irrigation of Rocky Ford silty 1 percent slopes, a desirable soil for vegetab Ie crops. For sale by thfl Superlnttmdent of Documents, U .8. Government PrInting Office Washington, D.C. 20402