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46
<br />Nearly all of this map unit is native rangeland. Proper
<br />range management is necessary to control erosion. This
<br />soil is not suited to irrigation because the steep slopes
<br />make erosion control unfeasible.
<br />The potential native vegetation on this soil is
<br />dominantly sand bluestem and prairie sandreed. If the
<br />range deteriorates, prairie sandreed and sand bluestem
<br />will decrease in number, and sand sagebrush, blue
<br />grama, hairy grama, sandhill muhly, and wormwood
<br />sagebrush will increase. Grazing must be light to
<br />moderate because of the hazard of soil blowing.
<br />The main conservation practices on rangeland are
<br />sand sagebrush management, fencing, livestock water
<br />development, and deferred grazing.
<br />Wildlife habitat, especially for rangeland wildlife, is an
<br />important secondary use for this soil. Rangeland wildlife,
<br />for example, the pronghorn antelope, can be encouraged
<br />by developing livestock watering facilities, by properly
<br />grazing livestock, and by range seeding, where needed.
<br />This soil is poorly suited to windbreaks and
<br />environmental plantings. Onsite investigation is needed
<br />to determine if plantings are feasible.
<br />This soil is moderately suited to use as homesites and
<br />septic tank filter fields. Slope is the main limitation to
<br />these uses. Blowing sand can be a problem on
<br />homesites.
<br />Capability subclass Vile, nonirrigated, and Vie,
<br />irrigated.
<br />45-Valent sand, 15 to 45 percent slopes. This is a
<br />deep, excessively drained, hilly soil on sandhills in the
<br />northeastern part of the county. It formed in eolian sand.
<br />The mapped areas range from 40 to 1,800 acres in size.
<br />Included in mapping are many blowouts, 5 acres or
<br />less in size. In this map unit, there are between 30 and
<br />50 blowouts per square mile.
<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 60 inches or more.
<br />Surface runoff is slow. Water erosion is a moderate
<br />hazard, and soil blowing is a severe hazard.
<br />Nearly all of this map unit is native rangeland.
<br />The potential native vegetation on this soil is
<br />dominantly sand bluestem and prairie sandreed.
<br />Deterioration of the range causes these two grasses to
<br />decrease in number and causes sand sagebrush, hairy
<br />grama, blue grama, and wormwood sagebrush to
<br />increase. Grazing must be light to moderate because of
<br />the hazard of soil blowing.
<br />The main conservation practices on rangeland are
<br />sand sagebrush management, fencing, livestock water
<br />development, and deferred grazing.
<br />Wildlife habitat, especially for rangeland wildlife, is an
<br />important secondary use for this soil. Rangeland wildlife,
<br />for example, the pronghorn antelope, can be encouraged
<br />by developing livestock watering facilities, by properly
<br />grazing livestock, and by range seeding, where needed.
<br />Soil survey
<br />This soil is poorly suited to use as homesites because
<br />of the steep slopes and loose sand.
<br />Capability subclass Vile, nonirrigated.
<br />46-Valent-Blownout land complex, 1 to 25 percent
<br />slopes. This complex consists of areas of Valent sand
<br />that have many blowouts. The areas generally are
<br />rounded or oval and range to 40 acres in size. They are
<br />on sandhills: This complex is about 40 percent Valent
<br />sand, 40 percent Blownout land, and 20 percent areas of
<br />bare dune sand.
<br />The Valent soil is deep and excessively drained. It
<br />formed in eolian sand. Typically, the surface layer is
<br />grayish brown sand about 4 inches thick. The underlying
<br />material, to a depth of 60 inches or more, is pale brown
<br />sand.
<br />Permeability is very rapid. The available water capacity
<br />is low. Water erosion is a moderate hazard, and soil
<br />blowing is a severe hazard.
<br />Blownout land is areas of shallow depressions that
<br />have flat or irregular floors formed by more resistant
<br />layers of underlying material. Hummocks or small sand
<br />dunes are also included in Blownout land. The floors are
<br />barren or have a sparse cover of red three-awn and
<br />other annuals. The hummocks and dunes have a sparse
<br />cover of blowout grass, prairie sandreed, hairy grama,
<br />sand dropseed, and sand bluestem.
<br />This complex can be reclaimed by first fencing the
<br />areas to exclude livestock. After fencing, a mixture of
<br />adapted grasses and legumes should be interseeded
<br />early in spring or late in fall, when moisture conditions
<br />are most favorable for germination. Adapted species
<br />include big bluestem, sand bluestem, sideoats grama,
<br />prairie sandreed, sand lovegrass, alfalfa, yellow
<br />sweetclover, switchgrass, indiangrass, and sand
<br />dropseed. In some areas, straw mulching is necessary to
<br />stabilize blowing sand until the grasses or weeds are
<br />established. After grasses begin to grow, light applications
<br />of nitrogen fertilizer, along with favorable moisture, can
<br />speed growth. Grazing by livestock should be postponed
<br />for at least three years.
<br />Capability subclass Vile, nonirrigated.
<br />47-Vona loamy sand. This is a deep, well drained
<br />soil on smooth plains in the southern part of the county.
<br />It formed in eolian sand. The areas of this soil are
<br />irregular in shape and range to 400 acres in size. Slopes
<br />are less than 3 percent.
<br />Included in the mapped areas are Haxtun loamy sand,
<br />which makes up about 15 percent of the map unit, and
<br />Valent sand, which makes up less than 5 percent. The
<br />Haxtun soil is in swales or shallow depressions, and the
<br />Valent soil is on gentle slopes along the perimeter of the
<br />mapped areas.
<br />Typically, the surface layer is light brownish gray loamy
<br />sand about 18 inches thick. The subsoil is brown fine
<br />sandy loam about 16 inches thick. The substratum, to a
<br />depth of 44 inches, is white very fine sandy loam. Below
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