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Ab• ut hait of me acreayu ul Lino l i mar
<br />azin and half for nonirrigated wheat or sorghum. Millet
<br />gro occasionally. A common cropping sequence is
<br />gall gr: ins or grain sorghum alternated with fallow.
<br />The m• in concerns in managing irrigated cropland are
<br />Introllin• water erosion and soil blowing and
<br />aintainin• soil fertility and the organic matter content.
<br />Al blowing can be minimized by leaving crop residue
<br />anding on e surface when crops are not grown.
<br />;eding direc into tilled stubble can protect emerging
<br />?edlings from • amage by soil blowing. Grasses and
<br />gumes grown rotation as much as half of the time
<br />Dip to maintain e organic matter content.
<br />ecomposition of •rganic matter in the soil has a
<br />:abilizing effect that helps to reduce the hazard of soil
<br />lowing.
<br />This soil is best su ' ed to sprinkler irrigation. Frequent
<br />jht applications of w ter make the most efficient use of
<br />rater and reduce erosi • n. On short steep slopes, gullies
<br />an form in the wheel p: th of sprinklers if irrigation is
<br />xcessive due to inadeq to management or improperly
<br />iaintained irrigation equi • ent. Fertilizers that add
<br />nitrogen and phosphorus t• the soil, applied at rates
<br />letermined by soil tests, ar= needed for profitable crop
<br />fields.
<br />The main concerns in man -.ing nonirrigated cropland
<br />ire controlling water erosion a d soil blowing and
<br />;onserving soil moisture. Essen ' - I conservation
<br />)ractices are stubble mulch tillag - and striperopping.
<br />Where slopes are long enough to • ermit their use,
<br />'arming on the contour and terraci s help to reduce
<br />•unoff and conserve water. Light ap lications of nitrogen
<br />fertilizer normally result in larger amo nts of crop residue
<br />which helps to reduce soil blowing an to trap snow.
<br />Cultivated fields can be seeded to g : ss using a
<br />mixture selected from crested, interme• =te, or
<br />pubescent wheatgrass; sand bluestem; s itchgrass;
<br />sideoats grama; prairie sandreed; blue gr a; or
<br />indiangrass. The clean, firm stubble of sor• urn or millet
<br />is suitable as a seedbed. For best results, s; eding
<br />should take place early in spring.
<br />The potential native vegetation on this soil i
<br />dominantly sand bluestem, needleandthread, p airie
<br />sandreed, switchgrass, and blue grama. If the r ge is
<br />overgrazed, sand bluestem, switchgrass, blue gr- a,
<br />and needleandthread decrease in number, and sa d
<br />sagebrush, sand dropseed, and bush wild buckwh =t
<br />increase. Deferred grazing, seeding, and contour
<br />furrowing as needed help to maintain or improve ran e.
<br />Deteriorated range can be seeded using a mixture
<br />selected from recommended varieties of sand bluestem,
<br />irA/ t5%T CIO ( ))
<br />5o fo2 /47
<br />Ty P s
<br />n be encouraged by planting winaorearcs
<br />by -stablishing species such as cotoneaster,
<br />hon- suckle, and Russian -olive for food. Rangeland
<br />wildlif for example, the pronghorn antelope, can be
<br />assiste• • nd encouraged by developing livestock
<br />watering - ilities, by properly grazing livestock, and by
<br />range seeds • where needed.
<br />This soil ge • erally is suited to windbreaks and
<br />environmental • - ntings. Soil blowing is the principal
<br />limitation in estab hing trees and shrubs. This limitation
<br />can be overcome b cultivating only in the tree row and
<br />by leavipg a strip of - getation between the rows.
<br />Supplefnental irrigation necessary at the time of
<br />planting and during dry p rinds. The trees that are best
<br />adapted and that have a g od chance of survival are
<br />'Rocky Mountain juniper, pon pine, Siberian elm,
<br />Russian - olive, and hackberry; e shrubs are skunkbush
<br />sumac, lilac, and Siberian peash b. Erosion can be
<br />minimized by planting trees in con •ur furrows or on level
<br />terraces.
<br />This soil is suited to use as homes i -s, but, because of
<br />the somewhat low bearing strength of t - soil,
<br />foundation footings need to be sufficientl wide to
<br />provide a safety margin of support for the -ight of
<br />buildings. This soil is well suited to use as se tic tank
<br />filter fields.
<br />Capability subclass IVe, nonirrigated and irrigated.
<br />5— Ascalon fine sandy loam, 0 to 3 percent slopes.
<br />This is a deep, well drained nearly level soil. This soil
<br />formed on plains in calcareous old alluvium. The areas
<br />are irregular in shape and range to 300 acres in size.
<br />They are mainly in the southwestern and northwestern
<br />pans of the county.
<br />Included in mapping are small areas of Manter sandy
<br />loam on convex slopes and Haxtun sandy loam on
<br />concave slopes. The Manter soil makes up about 5
<br />percent of this map unit, and the Haxtun soil makes up
<br />as much as 20 percent. Also included are a few areas,
<br />about 1 acre in size, of severely eroded soils.
<br />Typically, the surface layer is grayish brown fine sandy
<br />loam about 6 inches thick. The subsoil is grayish brown
<br />and brown sandy clay loam about 12 inches thick. The
<br />substratum, to a depth of 44 inches, is brown and very
<br />pale brown, calcareous fine sandy loam. Below that, to a
<br />depth of 60 inches or more, it is very pale brown,
<br />calcareous loamy fine sand. South of the Arikaree River,
<br />the substratum is thinner than is typical and is loamy
<br />coarse sand at a depth of about 34 inches.
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