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<br />SOIL SURVEY OF KIOWA COUNTY, COLORADO
<br />ey David L. Anderson, John G: Lesh, and Donald W. Wickman
<br />Also contributing to the fieldwork were Stanley Albee, David Alstatt,
<br />Paul Deutsch, Katie Duquet, Everett Geib, William Hawn, Donald Murray,
<br />Darrell Schroeder, William Tripp, and Leslie Williams
<br />United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service,
<br />in cooperation with Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station
<br />KIOWA COUNTY is a prairie county located in south-
<br />eastern Colorado. It is rectangular in outline. With
<br />Kansas as its eastern boundary, it lies 78 miles long,
<br />east and west, and 24 miles wide. Total land area is
<br />1,148,160 acres. Elevation ranges from 3,800 feet in the
<br />southeast corner of the county to 4,600 in the northwest
<br />corner. The major drainages in the county are Big Sandy
<br />and Rush Creeks, which drain the central part of the
<br />county; Adobe and Mustang Creeks, which drain the
<br />western part; and Wild Horse, Buffalo, and White Woman
<br />Creeks, which drain the eastern part.
<br />The population of the county is approximately 2,500,
<br />with Eads, the county seat, having a population of about
<br />850.
<br />The soils in Kiowa County are generally good; howev-
<br />er, agriculture is limited by the sporadic rainfall pattern.
<br />About 59 percent is dryfarmed land; the rest is range.
<br />Wheat is the dominant crop; grain sorghum, forage sor-
<br />ghum, and millet also are grown. Much of the dryfarmed
<br />land is subject to severe soil blowing. Crop failures are
<br />common during years of below average precipitation.
<br />The climate is mild and semiarid. The annual precipita-
<br />tion is about 14 inches. At Eads, however, 2 years in 10
<br />will have less than 10 inches precipitation. The summers
<br />are long with hot days and cool nights. In the winter and
<br />spring, high velocity windstorms can occur. Dust storms
<br />are common from February through April, especially in
<br />drier years.
<br />General nature of the county
<br />This section gives general information concerning the
<br />county. It discusses climate; physiography, relief, and
<br />drainage; history of settlement; natural resources; water
<br />supply; and farming..
<br />Climate
<br />Kiowa County is fairly hot in summer and rather cold in
<br />winter. Precipitation occurs mainly during the warm
<br />period in the form of thunderstorms and occasional hail-
<br />storms. Snowstorms occur every winter. Total annual
<br />precipitation is adequate for range grasses but is margin-
<br />al for dryfarmed crops.
<br />Precipitation is sporadic, and for long periods there is
<br />little or no rain. Thunderstorms and hailstorms are
<br />common, and droughty periods occur every few years.
<br />Precipitation ranges from an average of about 12 inches
<br />in the western part of the county to about 16 inches in
<br />the northeastern corner. Windstorms are common during
<br />the winter and spring months. Duststorms often occur
<br />from February through April.
<br />Table 1 gives data on temperature and precipitation
<br />for the survey area, as recorded at Eads, Colorado, for
<br />the period 1951 to 1973. Table 2 shows probable dates
<br />of the first freeze in fall and the last freeze in spring.
<br />Table 3 provides data on length of the growing season.
<br />In winter the average temperature is 32 degrees F,
<br />and the average daily minimum temperature is 17 de-
<br />grees. The lowest temperature on record, which oc-
<br />curred at Eads on January 12, 1963, is -25 degrees. In
<br />summer the average temperature is 74 degrees, and the
<br />average daily maximum temperature is 90 degrees. The
<br />highest recorded temperature, which occured on June
<br />29, 1963, is 110 degrees.
<br />Growing degree days, shown in table 1, are equivalent
<br />to "heat units." During the month, growing degree days
<br />accumulate by the amount that the average temperature
<br />each day exceeds a base temperature (50 degrees F).
<br />The normal monthly accumulation is used to schedule
<br />single or successive plantings of a crop between the last
<br />freeze in spring and the first freeze in fall.
<br />Of the total annual precipitation, 11 inches, or 80 per-
<br />cent, usually falls in April through September, which in-
<br />cludes the growing season for most crops. In 2 years out
<br />"K-2"
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