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23-Julesburg loamy sand, 3 to 7 percent slopes.
<br />This is a deep, well drained, gently undulating soil on
<br />smooth plains. It formed in eolian sand. The areas
<br />generally are elongated and range to 300 acres in size.
<br />They are mainly in the north-and south-central parts of
<br />the county.
<br />Included in the mapped areas are Manter loamy sand,
<br />which makes up 30 percent of the map unit, and
<br />Dailey loamy sand, which makes up 10 percent.
<br />Typically, the surface layer is grayish brown
<br />loamy sand about 11 inches thick. The subsoil is
<br />brown coarse sandy loam about 8 inches thick. The
<br />substratum, to a depth of 60 inches or more, is light
<br />yellowish brown sand.
<br />Permeability is rapid. The available water capacity
<br />is low. The effective rooting depth is more than 60
<br />inches. Surface runoff is slow. Water erosion is a
<br />slight hazard, and soil blowing is a severe hazard.
<br />About 60 percent of the acreage of this unit is
<br />used for grazing. The rest is used about equally for
<br />nonirrigated winter wheat and grain sorghum and for
<br />irrigated corn, hay, and pasture. This soil is poorly
<br />suited to use as nonirrigated cropland because of
<br />droughtiness and the severe soil blowing hazard.
<br />The main concerns in managing irrigated cropland
<br />are controlling soil blowing and maintaining soil
<br />fertility and the organic matter content. Soil blowing
<br />can be controlled by leaving crop residue as standing
<br />stubble when crops are not grown. Crops can be
<br />seeded directly into the crop residue, which serves as a
<br />protective mulch for emerging seedlings. Grasses and
<br />legumes grown in rotation up to half of the time helps
<br />to maintain the organic matter content. Decomposition
<br />of organic matter in the soil has a stabilizing effect that
<br />helps this soil resist soil blowing.
<br />This soil is best suited to sprinkler irrigation.
<br />Frequent light applications of water make the most
<br />efficient use of water and reduce erosion. On short
<br />steep slopes, gullies can form in the wheel path of
<br />sprinklers. This problem can be prevented by avoiding
<br />overirrigation and by maintaining irrigation equipment
<br />in good condition. Fertilizers that add large quantities
<br />of nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil are needed for
<br />profitable crop yields. Soil tests and anticipated yields
<br />should be used to estimate application rates.
<br />The main concerns in managing nonirrigated
<br />cropland are controlling soil blowing and water
<br />erosion and conserving soil moisture. This soil is best
<br />suited to grain sorghum; however, small grains can
<br />also be grown. To help maintain the organic matter
<br />content and soil structure, an alfalfa-grass or grass
<br />mixture should be grown for 2 or 3 years and then
<br />alternated with annual crops. Crop residue can be left
<br />on the soil to reduce the hazards of soil blowing and
<br />water erosion. Minimizing tillage can help to preserve
<br />the crop residue. Light applications of nitrogen
<br />fertilizer normally increase crop yields and the amount
<br />of crop residue produced. Crops should be planted at
<br />right angles to the prevailing wind, and the newly
<br />planted field should be left in a ridged condition.
<br />Planting small grains in strips alternated with fallow or
<br />row crops can provide additional protection from soil
<br />blowing.
<br />The potential native vegetation is dominantly sand
<br />bluestem, needleandthread, prairie sandreed,
<br />switchgrass, sand sagebrush, and blue grama.
<br />Continuous heavy grazing by cattle will cause sand
<br />bluestem, switchgrass, and prairie sandreed to decrease
<br />in the plant community, and blue grama, sand
<br />sagebrush, and sand dropseed will increase. Extreme
<br />heavy use of rangeland will cause annual grasses and
<br />weeds to invade.
<br />Badly depleted rangeland can be improved by
<br />interseeding with a mixture selected from sand
<br />bluestem, little bluestem, sideoats grama, prairie
<br />sandreed, indiangrass, and switchgrass. Nonirrigated
<br />cropland can be converted to grass by drilling a seed
<br />mixture selected from these perennial grasses into a
<br />clean, firm seedbed of sorghum or millet stubble. Other
<br />effective range management practices include deferred
<br />grazing and management of sand sagebrush, where
<br />needed.
<br />Wildlife habitat, especially for openland and
<br />rangeland wildlife, is an important secondary use for
<br />this soil. Habitat favorable for ring-necked pheasant,
<br />mourning dove, and many nongame species can be
<br />developed on cropland by establishing nesting and
<br />escape cover. Undisturbed nesting cover is vital for
<br />pheasants. In addition to those trees and shrubs suitable
<br />for use in windbreaks, sand cherry, cotoneaster, and
<br />similar species can provide food for openland wildlife.
<br />Rangeland wildlife, for example, the pronghorn
<br />antelope, can be encouraged by developing livestock
<br />watering facilities, by properly grazing livestock, and
<br />by range seeding, where needed.
<br />This soil is fairly well suited to windbreaks and
<br />environmental plantings. Soil blowing and the limited
<br />available water capacity are the principal limitations to
<br />establishing trees and shrubs. Trees should be planted in
<br />shallow furrows and a vegetative cover should be
<br />maintained between the rows. Supplemental irrigation is
<br />needed to insure survival of the plantings. The trees that
<br />are adapted and that have a good chance of survival are
<br />Soil survey
<br />Rocky Mountain juniper, ponderosa pine, and
<br />Siberian elm; the shrubs are skunkbush sumac, lilac,
<br />and Siberian peashrub.
<br />This soil is suited to use as homesites, but, because
<br />of the low bearing strength of the soil, foundation
<br />footings need to be sufficiently wide to provide a safety
<br />margin of support for the weight of buildings. This soil
<br />is well suited to use as septic tank filter fields.
<br />Capability subclass IVe, nonirrigated and irrigated.
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