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<br />PHILLIP6 COIINTY, COLORADO Iq ~~
<br />If this soil is used as range, a good way to avoid over-
<br />grazing is by fencing separate areas and by providing
<br />well-placed watering points and salt blocks. Reseeding
<br />overgrazed or eroded areas is a good practice, but grazing
<br />should be deferred until the grass is well established. Ca-
<br />ptibility units IIc-1 (dryland) and IIe-2 (irrigated) ;
<br />Loamy Plains range site; windbreak suitability group 1.
<br />Platner loam, 3 to 5 percent slopes (PaC) mainly oe-
<br />cupiesridges and convex hills, but many areas border inter-
<br />mittent drainageways. The profile of this soil is simIlar
<br />to the one described as typical for the series, except that it
<br />contains more gravel and is more shallow to lime.
<br />Included with this soil in mapping were small outcrops
<br />of gravel and of caliche. These spots are shown on the
<br />soil map by symbols. Also included were small spots of
<br />Eckley and Ascalon soils.
<br />This Platner soil is suited to cultivated crops, and nearly
<br />all of it is cultivated. Plowpans may form if this soil
<br />is tilled when wet ;however, both irrigated and dryfarmed
<br />crops common in the countyy are grown. Also suited is
<br />grass on range, pasture, and hayland. In dryfarmed fields
<br />stubble-mulch tillage and working crop residue into the
<br />soil give protection against erosion and help to maintain
<br />fertility. In the dryfarmed fields, terracing is needed for
<br />controlling water erosion and conserving moisture. Irri-
<br />gated areas need to be leveled so that water spreads uni-
<br />formly and is not wasted. In these areas, crop residue
<br />should be worked into the soil. Irrigated pasture or hay
<br />plants grow well on this soil.
<br />Blue grama, western wheatgrass, and similar grasses
<br />grow well on rangeland. Proper range use can be obtained
<br />if fences, water, and salt are located so that livestock
<br />graze the entire range evenly. This soil can be reseeded
<br />easily if it is moist and well covered with lant litter.
<br />Capability units IIIe-1 (dryland) and IIIe~I (irrigated) ;
<br />Loamy Plains range site; windbreak suitability group 1.
<br />Platner-Eckley association, 8 to 5 percent slopes
<br />(PaC) occupies long, narrow convex ridges or round con-
<br />vex hills that trend to the southeast. The ridges are irregu-
<br />lar in shape and range from about 8 to 40 acres in size. The
<br />hills are generally round and cover 8 to 15 acres. Platner
<br />soils are on the slopes, and Eckley soils are on ridge crests
<br />and tops of hills. The two kinds of soils are so closely asso-
<br />ciated that it is not practical to map them separately.
<br />Most areas of this association are east of Holyoke, though
<br />a few areas are southwest of Holyoke near the western
<br />edge of the sandhills.
<br />About 60 percent of this association is Platner soils, and
<br />the rest is Eckley soils. Each kind of soil has a profile simi-
<br />lar to the one described for its series.
<br />Because the Eckley soils are shallow to sand and gravel,
<br />this association is not suitable for cultivation. Some areas
<br />are cultivated, but it is advisable to reseed the cultivated
<br />fields with native grasses, such as blue grama, western
<br />wheatgrass, side-oats grama, and little bluestem. Grasses
<br />can be established quickly if they are seeded when the soil
<br />is moist and has an adequate weer of plant litter. Grazing
<br />should be allowed only during the proper season and then
<br />be deferred so that the grasses recover before dormancy
<br />in winter. The best way to obtain proper range use is
<br />by fencing the areas and by spacing salting blocks and wa-
<br />tering points so that the animals graze the range evenly.
<br />Capability unit VIe-3 (dryland) ; Platner soils are in
<br />Loamy Plains range site and windbreak suitability groupp
<br />1; Eckley soils are in Gravel Breaks range site and wind-
<br />break suitability group 3.
<br />Pleasant Series
<br />The Pleasant series consists of deep, well-drained, loamy
<br />soils. These soils are nearly level and occur where intermit-
<br />tent streams are blocked by the sandhills in the loamy
<br />uplands. Nearly all of the acreage is south and southwest
<br />of Holyoke where loamy soils border the sandhills.
<br />In a typical profile the surface layer is soft, gray loam
<br />about 5 inches thick. It is easily worked.
<br />The subsoil is about 47 inches thick. In the upper part
<br />it is dray silty clay loam that is hard when dry and in
<br />the middle part is grayish silty clay or clay. At a depth of
<br />about 30 inches, the subsoil is an older, buried Boll that
<br />consists of extremely hard, dark-gray clay and hard, pale-
<br />brown silty clay loam or silt loam. The underlying mate-
<br />rial is pale-brown gravelly loamy sand. Theso soils are
<br />noncalcareousthroughout.
<br />Cultivation is limited by occasional ponding. Perme-
<br />ability of the surface layer is moderate, but downward
<br />movement of water through the subsoil is slow. These soils
<br />have high available water holding capacity and natural
<br />fertility.
<br />The native vegetation consists of blue grama, western
<br />wheatgrass, and buffalograss. Snakeweed is the main weed
<br />in overgrazed areas. About 80 percent of the acreage is
<br />cultivated. Winter wheat, winter barley, and sorghums
<br />are the main crops.
<br />Typical profile of Pleasant loam in a pasture of native
<br />grass (1,055 feet east, 25 feet south of the northwest corner
<br />of section 4, T. 6 N., R. 45 W.)
<br />Al--0 to 5 inches, gray (lOYR 6/1) loam, very dark brown
<br />(lOYR 2/2) when moist; strong, very fine, granular
<br />structure; soft when dry, very friable when moist;
<br />noncalcareous; pH 7.2; clear, smooth boundary.
<br />Bl-6 to 9 inches, gray (lOYR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark
<br />brown (lOYR 2/2) when moist; moderate, medium,
<br />prismatic structure that breaks to moderate, medium,
<br />aubangular blocky; hard when dry, very friable when
<br />moist; nonmlcareous; pH 7.2; thin, patchy clay films;
<br />gradual, smooth boundary.
<br />B21t-9 to 19 inches, gray (lOYR 6/1) silty clay, very dark
<br />brown (lOYR 2/2) when moist; strong, Sne, prismatic
<br />structure that breaks to strong, fine, angular blocky;
<br />very hard when dry, firm when moist; noncalcareous;
<br />pH 7.3; thick, continuous clay films; clear, smooth
<br />boundary.
<br />B22t-19 to 30 inches, grayish-brown (lOYR 6/2) clay, very
<br />dark grayish brown (lOYR 3/2) when moist; strong,
<br />Sne, prismatic atruoture that breaks to strong, fine,
<br />angular blocky; very hard when dry, 8rm when moist;
<br />noncalcareous; pH 7.4; thick, continuous clay films;
<br />the lower 5 inches oP the layer has slightly weaker
<br />structure than the upper part ; clear, smooth boundary.
<br />B23tb-30 to 40 inches, dark-gray (lOYR 4/1) clay. very dark
<br />brown (lOYft 2/2) when moist; strong, Sne, prismatic
<br />structure that breaks to strong, Sae, angular blocky;
<br />extremely hard when dry, very firm when moist; non-
<br />calcareous; pH 7.8; thin, continuous clay films; clear,
<br />,wavy boundary.
<br />Bab l0 to 62 incaes, pale-brown (lOYR 8/3) silty clay loam
<br />and silt loam, brown (SOYR 6/3) when moist; etraN
<br />tore ie moderate, fine, angular blocky and moderate,
<br />medium, aubangular blocky; hard when dry. very
<br />friable when moist; noncalcareova; pH 7.8; thin,
<br />patchy clay fllme; clear, wavy boundary.
<br />Wr
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