History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 32

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 1011

USA > Nebraska > Hall County > History of Hall County, Nebraska > Part 32

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Hall silt loam, friable-subsoil phase .- The Hall silt loam, friable-subsoil phase. differs from the typical Hall silt loam mainly in the higher texture and more friable structure of the subsoil.

The principal area of Hall silt loam, friable- subsoil phase, is a strip one-fourth to 1 mile wide skirting the southern and eastern bound- ary of the large area of typical Hall silt loam lying north of Wood River. A second area of considerable size occurs at the town of Wood River, and a small area is encountered south of the Platte River, in South Platte township.

This phase does not differ materially from the typical Hall silt loam in topography and drainage, and there is apparently very little difference in agricultural value. Alfalfa may not give quite as good results, but corn with- stands drought as well as on the typical soil, or better, and gives equally good yields.

HALL VERY FINE SANDY LOAM (28,928 acres, 8.6%)

The surface soil of the Hall very fine sandy

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loam is a very dark brown, uniformly fine material consisting predominantly of very fine sand and silt, with but a small percentage of clay and scarcely any material coarser than fine sand. It becomes slightly lighter in color at a depth of 12 to 15 inches, and at 18 to 20 inches grades into a moderately compact, light- brownish or yellowish fine sandy clay. The substratum, beginning at depths of 36 to 40 inches, is generally lighter in texture than the subsoil, consisting of very fine sandy loam or sand. The surface soil has a high content of organic matter and appears black when wet. In the flatter, poorly drained areas the lower subsoil is frequently a grayish or yellowish-drab, compact, puttylike clay, con- taining sufficient lime to effervesce with acid. In some places the division line between the Hall very fine sandy loam and silt loam is rather arbitrary, and it is probable that con- siderable silt loam is included with the very fine sandy loam.

The Hall very fine sandy loam is confined to the Grand Island terrace. It occupies a large area in Lake Township directly north of Grand Island, and a belt ranging from one- fourth mile to 3 miles wide extends south- westward from Alda past the town of Wood River to the county line. These areas are irregular in outline and contain numerous inclusions of other types. Smaller develop- ments are mapped near Cairo and Abbott.

This is a productive soil, and because of its comparatively large extent it is one of the more important farming types of the county. Eighty-five per cent or more of its area is under cultivation. Wheat, corn, alfalfa, and oats are the principal crops, named in order of acreage. The average yield of wheat is probably 20 bushels per acre, of corn 30 bushels, and of oats 40 bushels. Alfalfa yields 31/2 tons per acre per season. The areas of lighter subsoil apparently differ in agricultural value from the typical soil.

The surface soil of the Hall very fine sandy loam is loose and loamy, and in years of normal rainfall it is easily maintained in good tilth. The soil is slightly more coherent than the associated fine sandy loam and sand types, and it forms a somewhat better seed bed for

wheat and oats, but it can not be worked quite as soon after heavy rains.

Land of the Hall very fine sandy loam has had a selling price of about $100 to $125 an acre, depending upon the location and improvements.

HALL FINE SANDY LOAM (21,952 acres, 6.5%)

The surface material of the Hall fine sandy loam is a very dark brown, loose fine sandy loam. In general it becomes somewhat lighter in color at 10 or 12 inches, but it continues as a brown fine sandy loam, containing con- siderable organic matter, to a depth of 18 or 20 inches, where it grades into a yellowish friable fine sandy clay. This in turn passes into a yellowish or grayish, friable clay and sticky sandy loam or sand at 3 or 4 feet. The soil is uniformly fine in texture, contain- ing high percentages of very fine sand and silt and only a very small percentage of part- icles coarser than fine sand. Much of the soil included with this type is a fine loam in texture. This latter soil does not differ from the fine sandy loam in color or topog- raphy, and it is not possible to make an ac- curate separation. Part of the type as mapped along the southern margin of the sand hills from Cairo eastward varies from typical in having a lower subsoil of yellow silt or very fine sandy loam.

The Hall fine sandy loam occurs principally to the north and northwest of Grand Island, in Mayfield, Prairie Creek, and Lake town- ships, and in a belt one-fourth to one-half mile wide, extending southwestward along the southern border of the Grand Island terrace from a point near Alda to the county line. The areas are very irregular in outline, and in no place cover an entire square mile. The surface is nearly level or only slightly undu- lating, but the type on the whole is slightly higher lying and better drained than the closely associated Hall very fine sandy loam. In places it occupies hills or dirges lying 5 to 15 feet above the surrounding level, and only a very small total area is flat and poorly drained.

Practically all the type is in farms, and Digitized by ogTe

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HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA

it is regarded as one of the more valuable soils of the county. Corn, wheat, alfalfa, and oats are the principal crops, named in the order of acreage. The greater part of the grain and hay produced is sold from the farms. Crop yields show wide variety from year to year. The average yield of corn is about 30 bushels per acre, of wheat 20 bushels, of oats 35 bushels, and of alfalfa, per season, 3 to 31/2 tons. The soil has a loose, loamy structure and is easily worked and maintained in good tilth.

The greater part of the type has had a selling price of $100 to $125 an acre, depend- ing upon the location and improvements.

HALL SANDY LOAM (6,656 acres, 2%)

The typical Hall sandy loam consists of a dark grayish brown or black, friable sandy loam which becomes lighter in color at a depth of 10 to 12 inches and at 18 to 24 inches grades into a light-brownish or yellowish, heavier subsoil. This varies in different places from a compact sandy loam to a silty clay. The type is not very uniform. As mapped it includes some areas of brown loamy sand which does not differ materially from the O'Neill sand 'except in its heavier subsoil. In some of the more poorly drained depres- sions the lower subsoil is a drab, plastic, cal- careous clay. The soil everywhere contains a relatively large proportion of fine and very fine sand, and it is not in all places closely differentiated from the Hall fine sandy loam.

The greater part of the Hall sandy loam occurs in Center township, directly west of Grand Island. It is developed mainly in the flatter and more poorly drained areas as- sociated with the O'Neill sand, and much of the type receives run-off and seepage water from hills occupied by the latter soil. It is less extensive than the Hall very fine sandy loam and fine sandy loam, and of lower ave- rage productiveness. About 90 per cent of it is under cultivation - corn, wheat, and oats being the principal crops. Corn is sometimes "drowned out" in the more poorly drained depressions.

HALL CLAY LOAM (4,928 acres, 1.5%)

The Hall clay loam consists of 8 to 10 inches of very dark gray or black, slightly plastic and sticky clay loam, grading into dark-drab or yellowish-drab, stiff fine sandy clay. The surface for 2 to 4 inches commonly consists of a dark-grayish or black, loose, fine sandy loam or very sandy loam. This rests upon a subsurface layer of plastic clay. Grayish, sticky sand, underlain by coarse sand, usually saturated with water, is encountered at depth of 3 to 4 feet.

The Hall clay loam occurs in a number of small, widely separated developments. The largest areas are found in Lake township, directly north of Grand Island, and in May- field and Harrison townships, a short distance southwest of Abbott. Numerous oval or circular patches, many of them too small to be shown separately on the soil map, are distributed throughout the larger area of Hall fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, and silt loam. The clay loam occupies shallow, poorly drained depressions on the Grand Island terrace.

The greater part of the type in the larger areas is too wet for successful farming, and is valued as pasture land and for wild hay. Most of the smaller areas are farmed in con- nection with more arable land. The soil is sticky and difficult to work when wet, and tends to bake and clod when very dry. In favorable years good yields of the staple crops are obtained. Where the type can be drained it can be made as productive as the naturally better drained soils. Thorough drainage and the use of barnyard manure are probably the best methods of treatment for the alkali spots.

The class of soil aggregating the next great- est acreage is the Cass series.

The Cass series is characterized by dark- brown or black surface soils and a lighter colored subsoil, commonly pale yellow or grayish. A distinguishing characteristic is the lighter texture in the subsoil than in the sur- face layer. In Hall County the surface ma- terial in most places is sufficiently calcareous

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to effervesce with acid. The Cass is the most extensive series in the bottom lands of the Platte River.

The Lamoure series is similar to the Cass in color, but differs in that the subsoil is as heavy as the surface soil, or heavier. The material is often calcareous throughout the 3-foot section and always effervesces in lower subsoil. Drainage is sufficiently thorough for successful farming.

CASS SANDY LOAM (5,056 acres, 1.5% )

To a depth of 6 to 10 inches the Cass sandy loam consists of a very dark brown, loose, friable sandy loam, fairly well supplied with organic matter. The soil becomes lighter in color and coarser in texture with depth, and changes at 15 to 20 inches into a grayish or pale-yellowish coarse sand. The surface ma- terial generally contains enough calcium carb- onate to cause effervescence with acid. The subsoil in general is loose and porous, but in a few places a dark-colored, coherent sandy loam extends to a depth of 20 to 30 inches, the soil closely resembling Lamoure sandy loam in structure and other characteristics.

The Cass sandy loam occupies low north- east-southwest ridges in the higher parts of the first bottoms of the Platte River. The largest areas occur in Washington and Alda townships.

This soil is well drained, and practically all of it is under cultivation. Corn is the principal crop, followed by wheat, oats, and alfalfa.

CASS FINE SAND (16,128 acres, 4.8%)

The Cass fine sand consists predominately of 6 to 8 inches of loamy fine sand which gradually becomes 'lighter in color and coarser in texture with depth, and grades into a lower subsoil of yellowish or grayish, incoherent medium sand. The top soil is dark brown or black, depending upon the local drainage con- ditions. Generally there is only a very small percentage of organic matter below a depth of 3 or 4 inches.

A very small area has been formed along the channels of the South Loup River, in the extreme northwestern part of the county. The organic content and the soil color vary with the age of the deposit. The surface is un- even and hummocky, being characterized by depressions inclosed by ridges 5 to 10 feet high or by low, wind-formed knolls. Drain- age is generally good. The uneven surface favors ready run-off, and the open, porous subsoil and substratum permit free under- drainage.

This type is less extensive than the Cass fine sandy loam, and is of much less agricul- tural importance. The greater part of it is used for pasture. Most of the land was cleared at an early date and now supports a fair growth of native grasses, together with such introduced forage plants as redtop, blue- grass, and sweet clover. Most of the small islands in the stream channels are covered with cottonwood, elm, ash, willow, and a brushy growth of locust and buffalo berry.

Only a very small percentage of the Cass fine sand is under cultivation. Corn, the prin- cipal crop, gives fair yields on the darker colored and deeper areas of fine sand, since this soil withstands drought as well as the heavier types. The areas of medium sand, however, have not proved durable. Occasion- ally fair stands of alfalfa are obtained on the typical fine sand areas. The soil seems to be unsuited to the production of wheat and oats. It is easily plowed and tilled under all moist- ure conditions. On account of its loose, in- coherent structure it drifts to some extent during high winds.

Land of the Cass fine sand has been selling at $50 to $60 an acre.

CASS FINE SANDY LOAM (23,808 acres, 7.0%)

The Cass fine sandy loam typically con- sists of a very dark gray or black fine sandy loam which changes to gray at 6 to 10 inches and gradually becomes lighter in texture with depth, passing at 12 to 20 inches into gray or gray and yellowish mottled, loamy fine sand, loose in structure. The lower subsoil

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HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA

consists of a gray, porous medium sand which changes at 3 to 4 feet to coarse sand and fine gravel. The topsoil is generally well supplied with organic matter, and it contains sufficient calcium carbonate to effervesce slightly with acid. The principal variations in texture are toward a silt loam and a very fine sandy loam. In places there is only a very thin layer of soil high in organic matter, underlain by yellowish-gray, incoherent fine sand, the type here closely resembling the more loamy areas of the Cass fine sand. In some of the lower situations the black fine sandy loam is underlain at a depth of 12 to 15 inches by gray, medium and coarse sand.

A silty variation of this type is encountered in three areas, aggregating about 750 acres, in Alda and Washington townships, and in a small area in the extreme northwest part of the county in the South Loup River bottoms. This soil is of small extent, but all of it is under cultivation. It consists of a dark-brown- ish, mellow silt loam, 6 to 8 inches thick, grad- ing into dark-grayish, compact very fine sandy loam which is underlain by grayish, loamy fine sand at 20 to 30 inches. There is usually a substratum of coarse sand at about 40 inches. The surface soil is well supplied with organic matter and appears black when wet. The soil is moderately cal- areous to a depth of 20 to 30 inches.

The typical Cass fine sandy loam is largely confined to the first bottoms of the Platte River, where it occurs in strips 100 yards to me-half mile in width parallel to present and old channels of the river. A very small area occurs in the extreme northwestern part of he county, in the South Loup River Valley.

The Cass fine sandy loam is the most ex- ensive bottom-land soil in the county. About 0 per cent of it is under cultivation, this wroportion representing the better drained rea. Corn is the principal crop, followed by rheat and oats. There is a small acreage f alfalfa. The uncultivated land is valued s pasture and for wild-hay production. 'attle and hogs are fed on most farms, and he corn and hay crops are largely consumed n the farm. Sweet corn makes a rank

growth, and on a few farms this crop is grown in small fields for seed. Corn yields vary greatly, depending upon the season. The average yield for a period of years is probably about 25 bushels per acre. Small grain does not give as good results as on the heavier soils of the bottom lands and upland. The yields of wild hay average about 11/2 tons per acre. The surface soil of this type has a loose, loamy structure, and is easily plowed and tilled. Level cultivation is generally practiced in growing corn.

Farms composed largely of the Cass fine sandy soam, with average improvements, have had a selling price of about $75 an acre.

CASS CLAY LOAM (10,944 acres, 3.2% )

The surface soil of the Cass clay loam is a dark-drab or black, slightly plastic clay loam, underlain at shallow depths by coarse sand and fine gravel. Over most of the type the surface soil consists of 2 or 3 inches of black fine sandy loam or silty loam, underlain by dark-drab, stiff clay to a depth of 6 to 15 inches. There is generally a sharp change to the porous, coarse subsoil, only 1 or 2 inches of sticky fine sandy loam or medium sand intervening in places. The surface soil of the Cass clay loam is generally well supplied with organic matter and in a few places there is a superficial layer of 3 to 4 inches of sticky loam.

This type occurs widely distributed in the first bottoms of the Platte River, where it occupies narrow, elongated depressions rep- resenting old river channels which have been partly filled with silt. The subsoil material is identical with that on the floors of the present channels. The type is poorly drained and is more subject to overflow than other types of the bottoms. In wet periods the ground water frequently rises to the base of the clay, or within 12 or 15 inches of the surface. The type lies only 4 or 5 feet above the stream channels.

On account of its poor drainage very little of this type has been placed under cultivation and it is valued chiefly as hay and pasturegle

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land. In most places it supports a heavier growth of grasses than the lighter texture types. In the few fields under cultivation fair yields of corn and oats are obtained in dry years. The soil is somewhat sticky when wet and tends to become hard and cloddy.

Artificial drainage is necessary to improve this soil and make it suitable for profitable farming, but throughout most of the type this is impracticable on account of its slight eleva- tion above the stream channels.

MARSHALL LOAM (3,712 acres, 1.1%)

Marshall loam is a very dark brown, mellow loam. It becomes lighter colored and higher in clay content at about 15 inches, and grades at 18 to 20 inches into a dark yellowish brown, friable, fine-grained clay, which changes to a yellow, friable silty clay at about 30 to 36 inches. The type as mapped varies in texture, much of it being a fine loam or a fine sandy loam, and it everywhere contains a relatively large proportion of very fine sand and silt. It is intermediate in color and structure be- tween the associated Colby and Grundy soils.

The Marshall loam occurs in Doniphan and South Platte townships, in five areas varying from 300 to 1,500 acres in extent. Its surface is slightly undulating, not quite as level as that of the Grundy silt loam but not quite as uneven as that of the Colby soils. The drain- age is good.

All the type is under cultivation to the staple crops of wheat, corn, oats, and alfalfa. Its productiveness is about the same as that of the Marshall and Grundy silt loams. It is somewhat easier to work than those types, and probably withstands severe droughts a little better than the Grundy soil.

MARSHALL SILT LOAM (4,672 acres, 1.4%)

The surface soil of the Marshall silt loam is typically a very dark brown, mellow silt loam, 12 to 15 inches deep. The subsurface material is a lighter brown, friable silt loam, which grades into yellowish-brown, friable silty clay loam at 20 to 24 inches.

The Marshall silt loam occurs in several small areas in the northwestern part of the county and in two small areas in the extreme southeastern part. Its surface varies from nearly level to undulating or gently sloping. In the northwestern part of the county the type occupies drainage divides, the steeper slopes comprising areas of Colby silt loam. The two small areas in the southeastern part of the county occur on comparatively gentle slopes along small drainage ways. The land is sufficiently sloping to be well drained with- out being subject to destructive erosion.

This soil is productive, and practically all of it is under cultivation. Wheat, corn, and alfalfa are the principal crops. Oats are grown to some extent.

GRUNDY SILT LOAM

The surface soil of the Grundy silt loam consists of a very dark brown, mellow silt loam, 10 to 12 inches deep, grading into a lighter brown, slightly more compact silt loam. This changes rather abruptly, usually at a depth of 18 to 24 inches, to a yellowish-brown, tough, impervious clay, which resembles a clay hardpan. This clay is stiff and plastic when wet and becomes extremely hard and crumbly when dry. The subsoil varies in color from yellowish brown to yellowish drab, but is usually lighter in the lower part. A substratam of yellowish or pale-yellowish, friable silt is encountered at depths of 314 to 5 feet. The lower subsoil and the sub- stratum are calcarous, but the surface ma- terial nowhere contains sufficient lime to effervesce with acid.

This soil is confined principally to one large uniform area in Doniphan and South Platte townships, in the southeastern part of the county. It occupies a nearly level or slightly undulating plain, little modified by stream erosion.

Practically all the type is under cultivation, and it is regarded as one of the more valuable general-farming soils of the county. Wheat. corn, alfalfa, and oats are the principal crops. named in order of acreage. Kafir, sorghum and millet are grown in small fields. Orchard

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fruits probably bear somewhat better than and harvesting, but it detracts to some ex- on the terrace and first-bottom soils. Only tent from the agricultural value of the land. a few farmers feed stock extensively and most of the grain and hay produced is sold.

COLBY FINE SANDY LOAM (9,728 acres, 2.9%)

The surface soil of the Colby fine sandy loam consists of a light-brown or yellowish loose fine sandy loam, grading at 6 to 12 inches into a yollow, heavy fine sandy loam or fine sandy clay loam. The subsoil, begin- ning at 15 to 20 inches, is a light-yellow, friable, mealy, fine or very fine sandy loam. In general the soil is very similar to the Colby silt loam in composition and origin, but it has a slightly looser surface soil and a more porous, friable subsoil.

An area of Colby fine sandy loam about 6 square miles in extent is mapped in Martin and South Platte townships, with a few smaller bodies in close association with the Colby silt loam. The type also occurs in a narrow east-west strip along the southern border of the sandhills, in South Loup and Mayfield townships, extending from the Buffalo County line to a point about 5 miles east of Cairo. The surface in general is un- even or slightly undulating. Low, rounded hummocks or knolls and intervening shallow depressions give rise to a choppy surface resembling that formed by wind in areas of loose sand. The type is well drained, but is not subject to serious erosion.

Practically all this soil is under cultivation. Corn, wheat, oats, and alfalfa are the prin- cipal crops. The methods of farming and the disposition of the crops are much the same as on the Colby silt loam. Corn gives practically the same yields as on the silt loam, namely, about 25 bushels per acre, but the fine sandy loam does not seem to be as well adapted to wheat and alfalfa.

The type in most places is easily maintained in good tilth, where manure or rotted straw is applied, and it can be worked under a wider range of moisture conditions than the silt loam. The hummocky character of the sur- face does not seriously interfere with plowing

COLBY SILT LOAM (21,120 acres, 6.2% )

The surface soil of the Colby silt loam is a dark brownish gray, mellow silt loam, rang- ing from 6 to 10 inches in depth. It usually contains a relatively high percentage of very fine sand and is ordinarily loose in structure, but becomes moderately compact if worked when wet. The surface soil is underlain by a yellow silty clay loam layer, 4 or 5 inches in thickness. The subsoil, beginning at 12 to 18 inches, is a pale-yellow, friable silt loam or very fine sandy loam, usually calcareous at about 3 feet. The surface soil is variable in thickness and color, being very thin and light gray or yellowish on the more eroded slopes, and dark in color and fairly well supplied with organic matter in the more nearly level areas. The type differs from the Grundy and Marshall silt loams mainly in its lighter color and more friable subsoil.

The Colby silt loam is somewhat more widely distributed in the southeastern upland area than in the northwestern upland. In the northwestern part of the county it largely occupies gentle or moderate slopes, but to some extent occurs on very steep slopes along drainage ways, where the land is too steep for successful farming and has been gullied in places. In the southern part of the county the areas along the border of the upland fac- ing the Platte River bottoms are characterized by moderate to steep slopes, and are rather deeply eroded in places. Back from the margin of the upland the larger areas have a slightly uneven surface, with low, rounded hillocks or knolls and intervening level de- pressions. The steep slopes and uneven sur- face make plowing and harvesting of crops more difficult and detract to some extent from the agricultural value of the land.

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History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 32

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co. Number of Pages: 1011

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 1011