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<br />3. Travessilla-Kim-Wiley Association
<br />
<br />Very shallow, excessively drained, loamy soils on
<br />sandstone bluffs and deep, well-drained, loamy soils
<br />on bordering foot slopes and ridge tops
<br />
<br />This association is located in the southeastern
<br />part of the county and is drained by the Purgatoire
<br />River. It occupies an area of nearly level to
<br />gently undulating plains dissected by drainageways
<br />that have steep side slopes and canyonlike walls of
<br />sandstone rock outcrop (fig. 4).
<br />This association embodies about 10 percent of the
<br />county. Travessilla soils comprise about 42 per-
<br />cent, and Kim and Wiley soils, together, about 33
<br />percent of the association. A complex of Travessil-
<br />la soils and sandstone rock outcrops comprises about
<br />17 percent, and the deep Baca, Haverson, and Manza-
<br />nola soils and the shallow, highly erodible Shingle
<br />soils occupy the rest.
<br />Travessilla soils are sandy loarns that are only
<br />a few inches deep over sandstone. Kim soils are
<br />deep, limy loams that developed from limy parent
<br />material weathered from sandstone. Wiley soils are
<br />deep, limy loarns that developed in wind-deposited
<br />silts overlying parent material weathered from sand-
<br />stone, which is at a depth of 40 inches or more.
<br />All of this association is used as range. The
<br />principal vegetation consists of blue grama, side-
<br />oats grama, bluestem, galleta, needlegrass, and
<br />cholla cactus. Small juniper trees, however, are
<br />most conspicuous. Deferred grazing helps to main-
<br />tain the vigor and productivity of the plants. Stock
<br />water can be obtained from shallow wells in drain-
<br />ageways, from deeper wells bored through the under-
<br />lying Dakota sandstone, or from small dams and pits.
<br />
<br />4. Harvey-Stoneham-Cascajo Association
<br />
<br />Deep, gently Sloping, well-drained, loamy soils and
<br />moderately steep, excessively drained, gravelly
<br />soils; on uplands
<br />
<br />This association occupies nearly level to gently
<br />sloping plains in the northeastern part of the
<br />county and high terraces and gravelly escarpments
<br />bordering the valleys of the Arkansas and Apishapa
<br />Rivers.
<br />It embodies about 12 percent of the county.
<br />Harvey soils comprise about 50 percent; the Stoneham
<br />soils, about 20 percent; and Cascajo soils and
<br />Gravelly land, about 14 percent of the association.
<br />The rest consists of the sandy loam Olney and Otero
<br />soils along with small areas of Baca, Manvel, and
<br />Shingle soils.
<br />Harvey soils are deep, gently sloping loams that
<br />have a prominent, very pale brown to pink layer of
<br />lime in the subsoil. Below the lime the texture in
<br />
<br />4
<br />
<br />p.aces is moderately sandy. Stoneham soils differ
<br />from Harvey soils in being somewhat less sloping and
<br />in having a well-developed, although thin, lime-
<br />free sandy clay subsoil. Cascajo soils are similar
<br />to Harvey soils but contain much more gravel and are
<br />more sloping.
<br />
<br />Cascajo soils are a source of commercial gravel,
<br />and Harvey and Stoneham soils are well suited as
<br />range. The principal grass is blue grama. Grasses
<br />grow vigorously with average precipitation. Well
<br />regulated grazing will keep the range in good condi-
<br />tion so that there is little surface runoff. Limited
<br />stock water can be obtained from small darns or pits
<br />or from shallow wells.
<br />
<br />5. Rocky Ford-Numa-Kornman Association
<br />
<br />Deep, nearly level, well-drained, loamy soils mainly
<br />on terraces
<br />
<br />This association occupies the terraces of the
<br />Arkansas, Purgatoire, and Apishapa Rivers and the
<br />uplands in the vicinity of the town of Cheraw. The
<br />terraces along the rivers generally occur at two
<br />levels (fig. 5). The lower terrace along the Arkan-
<br />sas River is about a mile wide, and the upper ter-
<br />race, about 25 feet above the lower one, is from 2
<br />to 4 miles wide. Most of the towns in the county
<br />are located on the upper terrace.
<br />
<br />This association embodies about 15 percent of the
<br />county. Rocky Ford soils comprise about 54 percent;
<br />Nma soils, about 11 percent; and an undifferenti-
<br />ated group of Kamman and Neesopah soils, about 10
<br />percent of the association. The rest consists of
<br />Cascajo, Nepesta, and Limon soils on the upper ter-
<br />race and Apishapa, Bloom, Las Animas, Glenberg, and
<br />Bankard soils on the lower terrace.
<br />
<br />Rocky Ford soils are deep, well-drained, and most-
<br />ly on the upper terrace. They have a thick silty
<br />clay loam surface layer and a silt loam subsoil.
<br />Numa soils are deep, well-drained, and mostly on the
<br />upper terrace. They have a thick silty clay loam
<br />surface layer and a loam substratum in which there
<br />is a prominent horizon of lime enrichment. MOst
<br />areas of the Numa soils are more sloping than those
<br />of the Rocky Ford soils. The deep, well-drained
<br />Komman and Neesopah soils have a thickly silted
<br />loamy surface layer and sandy loam subsoil. Gener-
<br />ally, they require more frequent irrigation than
<br />Rocky Ford and Numa so i 1 5 .
<br />
<br />Most of this association is irrigated. A wide
<br />variety of feed, grain, and vegetable crops is
<br />grown, and favorable yields can be obtained even
<br />though water is in short supply at times. Irrigation
<br />water comes from ditches maintained by those who
<br />have water rights on the river. The most important
<br />management problems are controlling seep and salt
<br />accumulation and improving tilth.
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