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PHILLIPS COliNTY, COLORADO
<br /><oil, generally on knobs, or in sags where the soil material
<br />h:ts been reworked considerably and a thin mantle of loess
<br />deposited.
<br />'Che soils in this comples take in water well and hate
<br />ntnderate to high available water holding capacity. Chisel-
<br />iu_~ can be used to break up plotrpans that form if the
<br />soils are tilled when wet. In a few spots, flat fragments of
<br />limestone as mach as 3 to 12 inches in diameter cover the
<br />s, mface.
<br />These soils are suitable for cultivation or as ranggeland.
<br />surly all of the acreage is cultivated. In dryfarmed fields
<br />t~ inter small grains, sorghmns, and similar crows grow
<br />t~ cll. Erosion can be controlled if stubble-mulch tillage is
<br />teed :md these soils are summer fallowed after ci»ps are
<br />harvested. In some fields emergency tillage is needed for
<br />rclacing soil blowing. Ili addition to small grains and
<br />snr}?-hums, alfalfa, corn, and sugar beets are spited in
<br />irri~_'ated areas. In these areas crop residue and manure
<br />sh~mld be worked into the soil. Irrigated crops t~spond if
<br />fertilizer is applied.
<br />On rangeland blue genus, western wheatgrass, little
<br />bhiestent, aucl bnffalograss grow well. These native grasses
<br />an be reseeded if the soil is moist and well covered with
<br />litter. Proper range use can be obtained by locating fences,
<br />~t-e.ter, and salt so that animals graze the entire area. Ca.pa-
<br />bility units IIIs-2 (dreland) and IIe-2 (irrigated) ;
<br />Loamy Plains range site; windbreak suitability group 1.
<br />Wages-Campus-Weld loams, 3 to 5 percent slopes
<br />(VVcCI occur utostly in the western part of the count-y. They
<br />ac~:npy old, high land surfaces that have been covered with
<br />,cinclblown silt. These areas generally occupy convey
<br />ridnes that tread southeastward. Some areas of Wades and
<br />Campus soils are on side slopes adjacent to nearly lez-el
<br />areas-of D:~tres loam, but the ~~i'e1d soil does not occur
<br />inthese areas.
<br />?~"ages soil makes up about v0 percent of the comples;
<br />Campus soil, 8o percent; and Weld 'coil, l5 percent. Wages
<br />:uu1 Campus smis are on the slopes, and the Weld soil is on
<br />ilu; narrow, amcex ridgetops. These soils are so close-ly
<br />:,asociated that it is not practical t-o map them separately.
<br />E;,ch hind of soil has a profile similar to the owe described
<br />iur its series.
<br />Included in mapping were small areas of Platner soils
<br />rliat occupy the toe slopes of the ri dges. r11so included leers
<br />a. ~[ew small spots of Canyon soils near spots where lime-
<br />=_i une crops out. The limestone is a hazard to farm machin-
<br />ery-. rllso occurring were a few small areas having slopes of
<br />:~ ro 9 percent.
<br />17iese soils take in water moderately well. Their avail-
<br />able water holding capacity is moderate to high. $ecause
<br />slope, are gentle, runoff is considerable during heavy
<br />rams, which causes small rills to form. Plowpans tend to
<br />form in the soils if they are tilled when wet.
<br />foils in this comples are suitable for limited cultivation
<br />or as rangeland. Nearly all the acreage is ctilticated. A
<br />suitable practice ht dryfarmed fields is stubble-mulch till-
<br />a,r, for cmttrolling erosion and maintaining t.ilth and fer-
<br />tility, filth and fertility are also nutintained by working
<br />crop resichte into the soil, emergency tillage, and construct-
<br />ing terraces on the longer slopes. These practices also con-
<br />scrce moisture. In the irrigated areas, crops respond to
<br />applications of fertilizer.
<br />On rangeland grasses grow well if fences, water, and salt
<br />at'e properly placed so that licestool: graze tho entire range.
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<br />Seedlings emerge quickly if the range is reseeded when the
<br />soil is moist and has a good coyer of litter. Then, grazing
<br />should be deferred until the young plants are well estab-
<br />lished. Capability units IVe-1 (ch•yland) and IIIe-u (ir-
<br />rigated) ;Loamy Plains range site; windbreak suitability
<br />group 1.
<br />Wages-Eckley-Dix complex, 5 to 25 percent slopes
<br />IWeEI occupies areas along intermittent drainagewacs,
<br />principally Frenchman and Patent Creeks. These soils are
<br />so utternungled that it is not practical to trap them
<br />separately.
<br />Included with these soils iu mapping were nearly level
<br />to moderately sloping soIls on stream terraces and chan-
<br />nel bottoms. The channel bottoms are shown on the soil
<br />map by a symbol fot• drainage. Also inclndecl were small
<br />areas where the soil is shallow over gravel and calcareous
<br />throughout.
<br />Abort fi0 percent of this comples is Wages soils, 1~ per-
<br />cent is Eckley soils, and L percent is Dis soils. Each hind
<br />of soil has the profile described as typical for its series. The
<br />rest of the comples cmtsists o.t ;tress of Platner and Asr_a-
<br />lon soils Iu hardland or sandy land areas, the Ascabm
<br />soils occur on the south batilcs ni the streams and Planier
<br />soils are at the upper edges of side slopes.
<br />These soils take water at a moderate to rapid rate. Where
<br />they are shallow, their capacity to hold water is limited.
<br />If rains are heavy, runoff is considerable and causes rill
<br />erosion. Also, estr;t water from runoff frequently concen-
<br />trates and floods the Dix soils. E rosion control dams could
<br />be built to control this water.
<br />The comples is not suitable for cultivation, mainly be-
<br />cause it is erodible, shallow, and sloping to steep. The
<br />areas should be seeded with native grasses.:Cn the more
<br />•tceessible areas, overgrazing is prevented by plnc•ing water,
<br />fences, and salt so that the hvestoek craze the entire range.
<br />Although reseeding may be diHicnlt m some eroded or ocer-
<br />grnzed areas, seeds germinate quicly if the soil is moist
<br />and covered with litter. Young plants should not be grazed
<br />until they are well established. Capability unit ';rIc-:i
<br />(dtyland) ;Wages soils are in Loamy Plains rango site and
<br />n•tndbreak suitability group 1; Eckley soils are in Gravel
<br />Breaks range site and windbreak suitability group 3; and
<br />Dix soils are in Gravel Breaks range site and wmdbrcak
<br />suitability group 2.
<br />Weld Series
<br />The Weid series consists of deep, well-drained, loamy
<br />soils that are nearly level to gently sloping. These soils are
<br />in the western and extreme northeastern parts of the
<br />county (fig. 9). They formed in loamy eolian, or loessal,
<br />materials. In a typical profile the surface layer is abort
<br />6 inches thick. It is grayish-brown loam in the upper part
<br />mul dark grayish-brown loam in t-he lower part,.
<br />The subsoil is about 10 inches thick and noncalcareoas.
<br />The tipper part is very hard, dark grayish-brown clay,
<br />and tho lower part is hard, dark grayish-brown vary fine
<br />sandy loam.
<br />The underlying material is very pale brown loamy ma-
<br />terial that r-ontaius many fragments of limestone as notch
<br />as 1 inch in diameter,
<br />Because the surface layer of the \Vekl soils is a thin
<br />deposit of login overlying a very slowly permeable sub-
<br />soil, runoff is rapid on moderately sloping areas. IIarcl-
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