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IS SOIL SUHVEY IICb-v2 to ,0 inches, pale-brown (SOYR 0/3) gravelly loamy sand, grayish brown (lOTR :~/~) o'hen moist; mnssice to single grain ,strucritreless) ; slightly hard when dry, eery frinUle when moist; noncalcnreous; pH 7.3. The A horizon ranges from 4 to S inches in thickness. The B?t horizon ranges from Ucn-y silty c1aS loam to c1aS. \~Len the soil is moist, cerp dark grayish-Urown or darker colors eztend to a depth of YO to a0 incUcs. In most areas free lime Las been leached to a depth of GO inches, but n felt' areas are calcareous at a depth oY i0 inches. Pleasant soils have a more uniform color in the subsoil than hate Rago soils. Also, Pleasant soils lack the distinct layer oY accumulated lime that occurs in Rago soils. Pleasant loam (0 to 3 percent slopes) IPsI occupies the acreage in the south-central part of the county at the Rest and northwest edges of the sandhills. Included with this soil in mapping were areas of Rago and Iiuma loamy. Also included were playas and a fete areas having a surface layer of light clay loam. Pleasant loam is deep and takes water slowly, but it does not release water readily. to plants. Runoff is slog. This soil is suitable for cultivation, and about half the acreage is cultivated. In dryfarmed areas, crops and grass for pasture or range are suited. Also suited are irrigated crops, pasture, or hay. This soil periodically is flooded after heavy rains. If the soil is tilled when wet, plowpans tend to form in the upper part of the subsoil. Periodic chiselintr when the soil is dry breaks up the plowpmt. Stubble mu~ching or use of crop residue generally helps to reduce erosion in dryfarmed areas. Although the soil is nearly level,, irrigated fields re- quire leveling so that Rater spreads uniformly. Practices for controlling soil blowing and for maintaining fertility are careful management of irrigation water and working crop residue into the soil. Blue grama, buffalograss, and western wheatgrass grow vigorously on this soil. In cultivated or overgrazed areas, reseeding is desirable if the soil is moist and covered with litter. All grazing should be deferred until the grass forms a good root system. Overgrazing can be avoided if salt, watoring points, and fences are located so that animals graze the entire r.•mge. Capability traits IIIs-1 (drylancl) and IIe-2 (irrigated); Clayey Plains range site, R-ind- breaksuitability group 1. Rago Series Tho Rago series consists of deep, well-drained, loamy soils. These soils occur on uplands and are nearly level or gently sloping. They occupy broad, flat areas and are estenstco throughout the county. In a typical profile the ploR layer is grayish-brown loam about 6 inches thick (fig. 6). It is easily worked. The subsoil is about 21 inches thick. The upper part is dark grayish-brown, slightly hard loam and hard clay loam. The middle part is dark-gray, hard silty clay ]oaln, and the lower part is pale-brown, slightly hard silty clay loam that is strongly calcareous mtd contains visible lime. The underlying material is very pale brown loam and silt loam that is very strongly calcareous and contains visible lime. Surface runoff is medium, because these soils are not more than gently sloping and have a moderately perme- able surface layer. They have a high capacity to hold water and are high in natural fertility. Except for a few small areas, the Rago soils are ch•v- farmed. Winter wheat, barley, and sorghums are the maiu crops. Some oats are grown in a few areas. The native vegetation consists mainly of western wheatgrass and blue grams grasses. Typical profile of Rago loam in a field of wheat stubble (2~J5 feet west and 84 feet north of southeast corner of section 3G, T. 3 N., R. 43 W.) Figure 6~Profile of Rago loam.