USA > Nebraska > Lancaster County > Lincoln > Lincoln, the capital city and Lancaster County, Nebraska, Volume I > Part 2
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By reason of the location near the principal city of the state, the land in the county brings a high price. Land is generally worth more in the east than in the west half of the area owing to the differences in agricultural value. The prices range from $50 to $150 an acre. The prevailing practice of letting the farms to tenants, who can have only a temporary interest in the land, is said to be rapidly reducing the value of the farms. There is a serious need for a definite agreement between the landlord and the tenant by which the tenant could be assured of remaining on the farm for a definite number of years and thus be able to plan his operations for some years ahead. This agreement should secure to the landlord a certain method of farm practice by his tenant, through which the productiveness of the soil would be maintained or increased.
At present leguminous crops are grown only to a very limited extent, while the character of the soil throughout the county is such as to make their use imperative. The conditions in the area suggest the importance of an increased interest in dairying and in the production of live stock. The productivity of the soils should be carefully maintained by the use of farm manure, which at present is frequently allowed to go to waste. The use of the lister, except where land has first been plowed, should be abandoned. Plowing should always be done with a view of conserving the rainfall and preventing soil erosion. The present rotation on many of the farms should be changed. Wheat should follow corn, and oats should follow wheat, in order to get larger yields of each crop. In every sys- tem of farming the rotation should include some leguminous crop, and on every
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farm at least a limited number of stock should be kept to make use of the forage and to increase the supply of barnyard manure.
SOILS
There are four distinct superficial geological formations in Lancaster County. and each gives rise to a distinct type of soil. In the order of their areal extent these formations are the loess of the Middle Pleistocene period, the Kansan drift belonging to the early Pleistocene period, the most recent alluvium occupying the lower levels along the streams, and the Dakota formation, a ferruginous sand- stone outcropping around the base of some of the steeper slopes.
The Kansan drift underlies the surface of the county generally and has a marked influence on the soils. This material is being gradually uncovered by erosion, and in the west half of the county the soil type derived from it covers a large percentage of the area. In the east half this glacial material is deeply covered and comes to the surface only occasionally, being found in ravines and in the vicinity of some of the larger streams. The loessial material appears at one time to have covered the surface of the whole county, but the agencies of erosion have removed the greater part of it from the surface in the western part of the county, where at present it is found capping knolls, skirting the bases of slopes, and occupying the crests of stream divides. The great body of the loess is found in the east half of the area, where, though eroded badly, the stratum is seldom cut through to the glacial material below. The loessial deposit and the Kansan drift merge into each other and sometimes make it difficult to define the boundaries of the resulting soil types.
The Dakota formation is found in the deeper ravines and in places where the overlying formations have been removed by erosion. Here is exposed almost pure gray sand, which is usually cemented on the immediate surface by ferrugi- nous material, while below this the sand is in a semi-consolidated condition and is easily broken down between the thumb and finger. This material comes to the surface over a limited area and affects only a small percentage of the soils.
The recent alluvium is found along the streams throughout the county and gives rise to one of the most important soil types in the area. In areal extent it ranks next to the Kansan drift.
All the soils of the area have a brown to dark brown color, and are generally productive, the least valuable being that derived from the Dakota sandstone. The upland soils contain a comparatively large amount of humus at present, but this element is rapidly decreasing, owing to general grain farming and the limited use of farm manures.
As stated the surface material of this area has been classified into four distinct types of soil. In the order of their extent these are: the Marshal silt loam, Mar- shall loam, Wabash silt loam and the Lancaster fine sandy loam. The first two belong to the Marshall series of soils, so widely developed in this and other middle and northwestern states. The Wabash silt loam belongs to the Wabash series of soils, which have a large development in the Mississippi and Missouri bottoms.
1
The Marshall soils are derived from transported loessial and drift material ; the Lancaster fine sandy loam has been formed in place from the weathering of
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the underlying sandstone, and the Wabash silt loam represents the alluvium which is derived from the wash of the surrounding higher lands.
MARSHALL SILT LOAM
The Marshall silt loam is the most important soil type in the area. The soil is variable in depth, ranging usually from ten to fifteen and sometimes having a depth of 20 inches, depending upon the topographic position. The more shallow places are found where the land has been under cultivation for several years and erosion has removed much of the surface soil to lower levels. Where the surface has remained unbroken and covered with vegetation, the soil is quite as deep on the slopes as on the more level areas. The color of the soil varies, but is prevail- ingly brown to dark brown, the shade depending on the quantity of organic matter present. The color gradually becomes lighter the longer the soil is cultivated with- out the addition of farm manures. This soil is composed largely of silt, with vary- ing amounts of clay and very fine sand. In its original state the particles are so arranged, being influenced by the content of humus, lime, and soluble salts, as to give the soil, when plowed, a rather open and porous structure. By reason of this structure the type is easily cultivated and may be kept in good tilth at compara- tively small cost. Only when plowed too wet does this soil puddle. Where this takes place it may require the process of weathering for a whole year to regain a proper physical condition.
The subsoil of the Marshall silt loam may be discussed in two divisions. Im- mediately beneath the soil is a dark-brown stratum, varying from eight to fifteen inches in thickness, which carries a percentage of clay sufficient to give the texture of a heavy silty clay. Below this heavy material the subsoil becomes relatively light in texture and has a yellow color. Throughout the deeper subsoil small lime concretions are much in evidence, and sections exposed in excavations reveal vertical fissures and numerous small holes through which plant roots have grown. The deeper subsoil of this type is thus seen to be quite porous and comparatively dry, and has been affected very little by weathering. The whole geological body from which this type is derived is proverbially dry and all wells sunk in it must penetrate the light sandy stratum below before water is reached.
The Marshall silt loam is derived from the weathering of the loess. During the process of weathering some of the finer particles, such as the fine silt and clay, have been carried in suspension from the surface and deposited at lower levels, and thus the surface soil has become gradually lighter. This type carries small quantities of soluble salts near the base of slopes and at other points where water accumulates and where capillarity and evaporation combine to concentrate these salts.
The greater part of this type is located in the east half of the county, where it is the dominant soil. There is quite an important area in the southern and south- western parts of the survey, and at various other points there are small patches and narrow strips around the base of slopes and along the interstream divides.
The surface of the type is gently to heavily rolling. In the extreme southern part of the county there are several square miles that are nearly level. This is along the main divide between the Big Blue River Valley and the Salt Creek basin.
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There are other level areas at various places in the Salt Creek basin, but with these exceptions all the type has sufficient relief for excellent drainage.
There is a phase of the Marshall silt loam developed in ravines and on some of the slopes where the soil is quite shallow, having been eroded away. The heavy subsoil comes near the surface and causes trouble in the preparation of the seed bed and the subsequent cultivation of the crops. The farmers find that when the surrounding soil is in prime condition for plowing these heavy spots are too wet, and if plowed at such times they puddle and remain out of condition all the grow- ing season. On the other hand, when these heavy spots are in good condition for plowing, the surrounding soil is much too dry. These heavy spots are called "gumbo spots" by the farmers. Their low productiveness is thought to be due to the presence of alkali salts, but chemical analysis shows no appreciable excess. The lack of humus, therefore, and the poor physical condition appear to be mainly responsible for the poor crop yields obtained. Deep plowing, subsoiling, and heavy manuring will eventually ameliorate these conditions. It would be a good practice for the farmers to place straw on these heavy spots and allow it to rot down and then plow it under deeply.
The native vegetation peculiar to the Marshall silt loam includes the usual grasses of the prairie, together with various herbaceous plants, many of which belong to the family Leguminosæ. Under cultivation this type is productive for corn and wheat. It is the great upland corn soil of the Mississippi Valley. It is also well adapted to sugar beets and other root crops. In growing these deep- rooted annuals subsoiling will be found necessary in the preparation of the seed bed, in order to secure the most satisfactory yields. This soil is also well suited to the production of alfalfa, clover, and many of the tame grasses, such as timothy, orchard, brome, blue, fescue, and other species that thrive on a medium heavy soil. Oats and emmer do well when arranged in rotation with corn, wheat, and clover.
The crops grown at present are corn, wheat, and oats, the most important of which is corn. The yield of corn may vary from 15 to 50 bushels, depending on the season and methods of farming. A general average would be about 30 bushels per acre. Wheat yields from 10 to 35 bushels, with a general average of about 12 bushels per acre. Oats run about the same as wheat. The relative low yield of the latter is due in part to sowing in the spring when there is very likely to be a few weeks of drought, which cuts the crop short or sometimes even destroys it. Clover and alfalfa make fair yields, and the grasses do well.
The Marshall silt loam is capable, under proper management, of holding a very large supply of water, and the annual precipitation is generally sufficient for crop production. Yet it frequently happens that the crops are cut short by drought, although the annual rainfall has been ample. An examination of the topographic and mechanical features of this soil reveals some of the causes of crop failure and indicates why the yields on this type, as at present managed, are not as large as would be expected from a study of this soil in other areas. First, the surface is rolling to hilly and rain water soon finds its way into the streams. Second, the subsoil carries a heavy stratum just beneath the soil which retards or prevents the percolation of the rain water to the lower subsoil. Third, the soil is of such color that it absorbs heat readily and the moisture is lost very rapidly by evaporation. The latter tendency is very much accelerated by the hot, dry
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winds from the southwest that frequently come just after a rain and rapidly induce the inadequate supply of moisture retained by the soil. The crops thus need rain every few days during the growing season to prevent injury from drought. The usual practice is to plow shallow, say a depth of two or three inches, or else to put the corn crop in with the lister and not plow the land at all but reduce the fields to a series of ridges and ditches, thus exposing more surface to evaporation and increasing the tendency to erosion, as well as quickening the drainage of the surface water to the lowlands.
In view of these conditions it is of more than ordinary importance that special care be taken to catch and retain as much of the rainfall as possible in the subsoil for use of the crops during the period of dryness. Deeper plowing, in some cases subsoiling, during the fall season, followed in the early spring and as often during the summer as practicable by surface mulching, will be found to better .. the moisture conditions materially. This surface mulching is very important in the production of wheat. The wheat fields should be thoroughly harrowed early in the spring, provided the plants have stood out well in the fall, and this should be repeated as often as necessary, the condition of the plants permitting, to keep a crust from forming. The land intended for oats should be fall plowed and disked early in the spring as long as possible before the crop is put in. After the crop is planted and before it comes up the land may be mulched again if moistitre conditions warrant it.
Perhaps the best rotation for this type of soil in this area is that suggested by Hunt for similar soils in this latitude ; namely, corn two years, wheat one year, and clover and timothy three years. It is thought that such a rotation would minimize the losses due to the "cornstalk disease" in cattle grazed in the stalk fields.
The Marshall silt loam is the highest priced soil in the country and has a greater crop value than any of the other upland soils.
MARSHALL LOAM
The Marshall loam is second in area of the upland soils. The texture of the surface soil is loamy. Material of all grades from clay to gravel and pebbles enters into its composition. Lime concretions are usually plentiful and huge bowlders are of frequent occurrence. The soil is generally open in structure, but like the Marshall silt loam, it has a heavy substratum that must be broken up before the best physical conditions can be secured. The color of the soil is usually brown to dark brown or with occasionally an area that is dark reddish brown, and in general the longer a field is cultivated the lighter the color of the soil be- comes. In depth it ranges from ten to fifteen inches, with a general average of about twelve inches, though in local areas the surface is washed so badly that nearly all the soil has been removed. The composition of the subsoil is generally quite variable. Sometimes it is a mass of sand and gravel ; again it may be com- posed of heavy bowlder clay. The color of the subsoil is generally yellow to reddish yellow and gray. This type, on the whole, because of its more open structure of subsoil, has a relatively lower water holding capacity than the Marshall silt Joam.
On account of the heterogeneous composition, the Marshall silt loam is not
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always easily cultivated. Sometimes the heavy subsoil comes near the surface and gives rise to what the farmers term "gumbo."
Many fields must be cleared of stones before machinery can be used. A large percentage of the type, however, is clear of rocks of objectionable size and can be farmed with comparative ease.
The greater part of this type is found in the west half of the county and it is typically developed around the headwaters of Salt Creek and its principal tributaries. It generally occupies the high rolling lands south of these streams and the areas generally slope to the north. A notable exception to this rule is found east and north of Raymond, where the slope is to the southi, agreeing with the direction of the drainage channels. This soil is nearly always found on the lower slopes, and occupies a position between the crests of the divides and the bottom lands along the streams. There is a large development of the type southwest of Lincoln, in the neighborhood of Sprague, Denton and Berks. There is another large area north and east of Raymond. Other but smaller areas are scattered here and there over the county, following lines of greatest erosive action.
The surface of this type is heavily rolling to rough and hilly, and is so badly dissected in places, notably south of Sprague, Denton and near Raymond, as to render it worthless except for pasture and meadow. The drainage is very good.
The Marshall loam is derived from the weathering of glacial material be- longing to the Kansan epoch. The surface ten to twelve inches has been changed through weathering to a material of lighter composition than the substratum. The color has been changed by oxidation and plant growth from a buff to a dark- brown color. This drift material is quite old, as shown by the weathered condi- tion of the glacial bowlders found in it. These bowlders are fragments of granite, gneiss, trap, and Sioux quartzite. All but the last named are in an advanced stage of weathering, many of the granite bowlders now falling to pieces.
The native vegetation of the Marshall loam consists almost entirely of grasses and herbaceous plants. There appear to be more leguminous plants on this than on any other soil in the area. Among the more important may be mentioned the wild licorice ( Glycyrrhiza lepidata),1 the beggar tick ( Mibamia illinoiensis), the partridge pea or wild senna (Cassia chamacrista), the white thimble weed (Psoralca argophylla), the wild indigo (Baptisia bractata), and Parasela delea. There are more than 30 species of leguminous plants growing wild in this area and perhaps two-thirds of them are indigenous to this type of soil.
The Marshall loam produces good yields of corn, wheat, and oats, but in all probability it is better adapted to the production of oats, emmer, and some of the durum wheats. The soil is generally too light and droughty for the best yields of winter wheat. A large percentage of this type would be more remunerative if seeded to alfalfa and clover and stock raising introduced to take place of grain farming. A large proportion of it will never be valuable for general agricultural purposes. The average yield of corn is about twenty bushels and of wheat about ten bushels per acre. The yields frequently run very low, owing partly to climatic and partly to cultural conditions.
Shallow plowing and listing are generally practiced on this type. These methods increase erosion and limit the amount of water in the soil reservoir, and
1 Identified by Dr. Charles E. Bessey.
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LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
the crop yields are affected accordingly. The lister is especially out of place on this soil, since the surface washes badly even under the best methods of soil management. The farmers who own this land are beginning to realize this and are using the lister less than formerly. These rolling lands when cultivated at all should be plowed deeply, so that the heavy rains, instead of running off the surface, may soak down into the subsoil. All the draws should be left to grass over and, where the liability to erosion is very great, terracing would be advis- able to direct the surplus waters into the grassy draws. Much of this land should be left in permanent meadows or plowed up and put in alfalfa.
This type of soil is of less intrinsic value and brings a lower price in the market than the Marshall silt loam. It ranges in price from about twenty-five dollars to fifty dollars an acre, depending on location and improvements.
WABASH SILT LOAM
The texture of the soil of the Wabash silt loam varies considerably. In some places where the Marshall loam is the adjacent type it is rather sandy, and again where deposition has occurred from comparatively still water the proportion of clay is greater. The soil is stratified, and silty, clayey, and sandy layers are found to occur alternately. It contains much organic matter, which renders its structure open and porous, except where clayey material predominates. It is generally dark brown to black in color, with here and there a gray phase, due sometimes to the presence of alkali. The surface soil is very deep, ranging from fifteen to forty inches, with a general average of about twenty inches. It is generally easy to cultivate, the worst trouble being the rapidity with which weeds and grasses grow.
The Wabash silt loam forms the bottoms along the principal streams, occurring in areas from a few rods to more than two miles in width. The surface is gen- erally level, but some depressed areas are found along Salt Creek. There are some small island-like areas of Marshall silt loam rising above the lowlands northeast of Lincoln. These mesalike elevations appear to have been caused by the shifting of the stream channel and by the general wearing down of Salt Creek basin ; areas better protected by vegetation or position with relation to currents have resisted leveling by erosion.
The whole of this type has a general slope of perhaps ten feet to the mile except that found along Rock Creek, where the slope is not so great. This rapid fall has caused both Salt Creek and its tributaries to cut their channels several feet below the surrounding bottom land, which when the streams are normal lies from ten to twenty feet or more above the water level. Nevertheless the streams tend to wind in their courses and loops, oxbows, and abandoned chan- nels are of frequent occurrence.
Salt Creek and its tributaries drain not only most of the area of Lancaster County, but a vast area outside of the county to the west and northwest. All of this drainage, except that carried by Rock Creek, enters the main channel of Salt Creek near the City of Lincoln. Here sometimes the water accumulates in such floods that all the bottom land is submerged, as, for instance, during the year (1906), and boats take the place of vehicles. During these freshets much farm and some city property is destroyed. There appears to be no prac-
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ticable way of controlling these flood waters, though in some cases diking might be found worth while. With the exception of the floods most of this soil is very well drained, and much of it is under cultivation. There are some flat areas near Lincoln and, generally, where the larger tributaries enter Salt Creek that require tiling and in some cases open ditches. The drainage of these areas is feasible, since the stream channels are all deep enough to allow a sufficient fall in the drains.
The Wabash silt loam is alluvial in origin and is composed of the wash from the surrounding soil types. Little or no weathering is required to make this soil productive, since it is not only composed of the most available plant-food ma- terials of the upland soils, but it receives a new and fresh supply of these at every flood. This type carries a small amount of alkali. The native vegetation consists of various lowland grasses, herbaceous plants, and trees. The most important trees are the willow, box elder, walnut, ash, and cottonwood. The trees usually are found near the streams.
The Wabash silt loam is the best corn and wheat soil in the county. Its water table is generally less than 10 feet below the surface, and capillarity works very advantageously in bringing the moisture within the zone of root action. Barring the liability to floods, this soil is well adapted to the production of sugar beets, clover, alfalfa, and the tame grasses, though alfalfa should not be expected to do well where the water table is less than five or six feet from the surface. Corn is not so likely to be damaged by floods if planted carly, and wheat should be seeded early enough in the fall to give it a good start and hasten its maturity in the spring. The crops grown are corn and wheat. The former yields from thirty to sixty bushels, with a general average of about forty bushels per acre. Wheat will generally produce from twenty to forty bushels, with an average of about twenty-five bushels per acre.
There is perhaps less necessity for care in the conservation of moisture in the cultivation of this soil than with any other type in the county, but even in this rich alluvium moderately deep plowing and surface mulching are necessary for the best results. The various weeds and grasses grow with great rapidity, and frequent mulching not only conserves moisture, but serves to destroy germi- nating weeds and grasses. These troublesome weeds must be dealt with each year, since the seeds are brought down by the floods and scattered over the farms, and the highest yields of corn and other cultivated crops can be secured only at the expense of much labor. Though this soil is subject to annual inundation, its crop value is so great in favorable seasons that its market price is always high, generally ranging from fifty to one hundred dollars an acre.
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