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»il <br />• • <br />LOGAN COUNTY, COIARADO <br />tv, depth to sand and gravel, and slope are the principal <br />concerns in establishing tree and shrub plantings. Special <br />pn. consisting of summer fallow a year in advance of <br />planting, plantings on the contour, continued cultivation <br />for weed control, and supplemental water is needed to in- <br />sure establishment and survival of plantings. Trees best <br />suited and having good survival are Rocky Mountain ju- <br />c,ioer, eastern redcedar, ponderosa pine and Siberian elm. <br />Shrubs best adapted are skunkbush sumac and lilac. <br />Rangeland wildlife such as antelope, cottontail and <br />coyote are best adapted on these soils. Proper livestock <br />grazing management is necessary if livestock and wildlife <br />Fhare the range. Livestock watering facilities are also im- <br />portant and aze utilized by various wildlife species. The <br />position of these soils in relationship to croplands makes <br />them valuable as escape cover areas for openland wildlife, <br />especially pheasants. The relief, natural springs and na- <br />tive vegetation provide food and cover. Areas of these <br />sods provide sites that can be readily developed and <br />managed for wildlife. <br />Slope is the primary limiting soil feature where these <br />soils aze used for homesites or other urban developments. <br />lidensive engineering designs and measures are needed <br />to minimize the slope limitation. Where the soils are con- <br />e.idered for a sewage lagoon system, special sealing <br />methods are required to overcome excessive seepage. <br />Capability subclass VIe nonirrigated. <br />26-Els loamy sand. This is a deep, somewhat poorly <br />drained soil on low terraces and bottoms along the South <br />Platte River. It formed in calcareous, stratified sandy al- <br />luvium underlain by mottled sand and gravel. Average <br />annual precipitation ranges from 13 to 19 inches. Slopes <br />are neazly level. <br />Included in this unit are small areas of Alda loam and <br />Fiuvaquentic Haplaquolls. <br />Typically the surface layer is gra~~sh brown loamy sand <br />about 6 inches thick. The underlying layer is light <br />brownish gray loamy fine sand about 11 inches thick over <br />light gray, calcareous, mottled loamy fine sand that is <br />stratified with thin lenses of silt loam and extends to 58 <br />inches. Below a depth of 58 inches is a mixture of <br />brownish, mottled coarse sand and gravel. <br />Permeability is rapid. Effective rooting depth is 60 <br />inches or more. Available water capacity is low. Surface <br />runoff is slow, the erosion hazard is slight, and the soil <br />blowing hazard is moderate. A fluctuating water table oc- <br />curs below 20 inches during the winter and spring <br />months. This soil is subject to occasional flooding during <br />late spring and summer months. <br />This soil is used for irrigated cropland and grazing. Al- <br />falfa, corn, and sugar beets are the main crops grown. <br />In irrigated cropland areas the main concerns of <br />management are efficient use and distribution of water, <br />fertility maintenance and protecting the soil from blow- <br />ing. Sprinkler irrigation is best suited, but the size and <br />position in the landscape of these areas makes the border <br />or furrow irrigation method the one normally used. Ir- <br />rigation frequency should be often and length of runs <br />29 <br />short for the most efficient application of irrigation <br />water. Applications of manure and commercial fertilizers <br />containing nitrogen and phosphorus are needed to main- <br />tain soil productivity. Leaving crop residues on the sur- <br />face protects the soil from blowing during periods when <br />there are no growing crops. <br />The rangeland vegetation of this soil consists mainly of <br />tall prairie grasses, including sand bluestem, switchgrass, <br />prairie cordgrass, little bluestem, sand reedgrass, sedge, <br />and indiangrass. These produce an abundance of forage <br />that can be cut for grass and hay. Management of the <br />grazing is mandatory on these soils in order to maintain <br />the productive grasses. Proper grazing and planned graz- <br />ing systems that include deferment periodically during <br />the growing season are effective in maintaining or im- <br />proving the rangeland vegetation. Chemical or mechanical <br />brush management is beneficial where dense stands of <br />sand sagebrush encroach on this sail. Lands taken out of <br />cropland or depleted by overgrazing can be seeded to <br />adapted rangeland grasses. Fencing is essential in <br />separating these soils from other soils in order to apply <br />needed treatment and grazing systems. <br />Windbreaks and environmental plantings are generally <br />well suited to this soil. The somewhat poorly drained con- <br />dition and abundant competing vegetation are the prin- <br />cipal concerns in establishing tree and shrub plantings. <br />Special care consisting of summer fallow, continued cul- <br />tivation for weed control, and selection of adapted plants <br />is needed to insure establishment and survival of <br />plantings. Trees best suited and having good survival are <br />plains cottonwood, golden willow, Colorado blue spruce, <br />Rocky Mountain juniper and eastern redcedar. Shrubs <br />best suited aze American plum, purple willow, common <br />chokecherry and redosier dogwood. <br />This is an important soil for wildlife because of its in- <br />tensive use for cropland and its association with the <br />South Platte River. Under imgation, it is an important <br />food producer for waterfowl, pheasants and deer. All util- <br />ize crop residues which occur as aftermath fgllowing har- <br />vest. Wt7dlife values can be enhanced by developments of <br />tree and shrub plantings and undisturbed nesting cover of <br />grasses and legumes. In the presence of a water supply, <br />waterfowl could be attracted to the area by development <br />of shallow water areas. <br />Where areas aze used for homesites or other urban <br />developments, the primary limiting soil features are a <br />water table at a depth of 20 to 90 inches and occasional <br />flooding. Special sewage systems must be anticipated. <br />Septic tank absorption fields will not function properly <br />because of the high water table. Homesites and other <br />urban development construction will require compensat- <br />ing measures and designs to overcome the water table <br />condition and flood hazard. Special road designs are also <br />needed that will take into account the frost action poten- <br />tial of the soil. Capability subclass IVw nonimgated, IVw <br />irrigated. <br />27-Epping loam, 3 to 9 percent alopea. This is a shal- <br />low, well drained soil on uplands in the northwestern part <br />