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Yuma County, Colorado
<br />machinery. The underlying rock makes the soil very
<br />poorly suited to use as septic tank filter fields. If leach
<br />fields can not be placed in nearby suitable soils, special
<br />effluent designs will be needed.
<br />Capability subclass Vle, nonirrigated, and lVe, irrigated.
<br />43-Valent sand, 1 to 9 percent slopes. This is a
<br />deep, excessively drained soil on sandhills in the
<br />northeastern and southwestern parts of the county. It
<br />formed in eolian sand. The areas range to 1,500 acres in
<br />size. Slopes are mainly 3 to 9 percent.
<br />Included in the mapped areas are Haxtun loamy sand,
<br />which makes up 10 percent of the map unit, and Dailey
<br />loamy sand, which makes up 20 percent. ' The Haxtun
<br />soil generally is in depressions between.sandhills, and
<br />the areas are 1 to 7 acres in size. The Dailey soil is on
<br />the concave part of slopes, and the areas are 5 to 40
<br />acres in size. Also included are many blowouts, 5 acres
<br />or less in size. On the average, there are 4 blowouts per
<br />square mile in this unit.
<br />Typically, the surface layer is grayish brown sand
<br />about 4 inches thick. The underlying material, to a depth
<br />of 60 inches or more, is pale brown sand. In places
<br />along the Arikaree River, the soil material above a depth
<br />of 40 inches is calcareous.
<br />Permeability is very 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 slight
<br />hazard, and soil blowing is a severe hazard.
<br />More than 80 percent of the acreage of this map unit
<br />is native rangeland. The rest is irrigated cropland. Corn is
<br />the main crop. Other crops include grain sorghum,
<br />alfalfa, and pasture grasses. This soil is only marginally
<br />suited to cultivation because it is droughty and soil
<br />blowing is a severe hazard.
<br />The main concerns in managing irrigated cropland are
<br />controlling water erosion and soil blowing and
<br />maintaining soil fertility and the organic matter content.
<br />Soil blowing can be minimized by leaving crop residue on
<br />the surface as standing stubble when crops are not
<br />grown. Crops can be seeded directly into the crop
<br />residue, which serves as a protective mulch that helps
<br />prevent damage to young crops by soil blowing. Grasses
<br />and legumes grown in rotation up to half of the time help
<br />to maintain the organic matter content. Decomposition of
<br />organic matter in the soil has a stabilizing effect that
<br />helps this soil resist soil blowing.
<br />This soil is suited only to sprinkler irrigation. Frequent
<br />light applications of water make the most efficient use of
<br />water and reduce erosion. On short steep slopes, gullies
<br />can form in the wheel path of sprinklers. This problem
<br />can be prevented by avoiding overirrigation and by
<br />maintaining irrigation equipment in good condition.
<br />Fertilizers that add large quantities of nitrogen and
<br />phosphorus to the soil are needed for profitable crop
<br />yields. Soil tests and anticipated yields should be used to
<br />estimate application rates.
<br />The potential native vegetation on this soil is
<br />dominantly sand bluestem, needleandthread, prairie
<br />45
<br />sandreed, and blue grama. If the range deteriorates,
<br />prairie sandreed, switchgrass, and sand bluestem
<br />decrease in number, and blue grama, sand sagebrush,
<br />and yucca increase. Soil blowing is a hazard on
<br />overgrazed range. The main conservation practices on
<br />rangeland are sand sagebrush management, fencing,
<br />livestock water development, and deferred grazing.
<br />Interseeding can help improve range in poor condition.
<br />A mixture of pure live seed selected from sand bluestem,
<br />little bluestem, sideoats grama, prairie sandreed, Indian
<br />ncegrass, switchgrass, and indiangrass should be
<br />seeded at the recommended rate. After seeding, grazing
<br />should be deferred until the end of the second growing
<br />season.
<br />Wildlife habitat, especially for openland and rangeland
<br />wildlife, is an important secondary use for this soil.
<br />Habitat favorable for ring-necked pheasant, mourning
<br />dove, and many.nongame species can be developed on
<br />cropland by establishing nesting and escape cover.
<br />Undisturbed nesting cover is vital for pheasants.
<br />Rangeland wildlife, for example, the pronghorn antelope,
<br />can be encouraged by developing livestock watering
<br />facilities, by properly grazing livestock, and by range
<br />seeding, where needed. The trees and shrubs
<br />recommended for use in farmstead windbreaks can also
<br />improve the habitat for openland wildlife.
<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 need to be planted
<br />in shallow furrows and vegetation maintained between
<br />the rows. Supplemental irrigation is needed to insure the
<br />survival of plantings. The trees that are best adapted
<br />and that have a good chance of survival are Rocky
<br />Mountain juniper, ponderosa pine, and Siberian elm; the
<br />shrubs are skunkbush sumac, lilac, and Siberian
<br />peashrub.
<br />This soil is suited to use as homesites and septic tank
<br />filter fields. Blowing sand can be a problem on
<br />construction sites.
<br />Capability subclass Vie, nonirrigated, and IVe, irrigated.
<br />44-Valent sand, 9 to 15 percent slopes. This is a
<br />deep, excessively drained soil on sandhills, mainly in the
<br />northeastern part of the county. It formed in eolian sand.
<br />The areas range to 2,000 acres in size.
<br />Included in mapping and making up as much as 15
<br />percent of this map unit is Dailey loamy sand. This soil is
<br />in depressions between sandhills, and the areas are 1 to
<br />5 acres in size. Also included are many blowouts, 5
<br />acres or less in size: On the average, there are 8 to 12
<br />blowouts per square mile in this map unit.
<br />Typically, the surface layer is grayish brown sand
<br />about 4 inches thick. The underlying material, to a depth
<br />of 60 inches or more, is pale brown sand.
<br />Permeability is very 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 />moderate hazard, and soil blowing is a severe hazard.
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