J?^ S US 1Q2 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY D 000 880 698 6 1 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF SOILS— MILTON WHITNEY, Chief. ION WITH THE UTAH AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, RIS, DIRECTOR; D. S. JENNINGS, IN CHARGE SOIL SURVEY. URVEY OF THE DELTA AREA, UTAH. BY A. T. STRAHORN, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, In Charge, H. STUCKI, and D. S. JENNINGS, of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. MACY H. LAPHAM, Inspector, Western Division. [Advance Sheets — Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1919.] WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1922. BUREAU OF SOILS. Milton Whitney, Chief of Bureau. Albebt G. Rice, Assistant to Chief. SOIL SURVEY. Curtis F. Marbut, In Charge. G. W. Baumann, Executive Assistant. COMMITTEE ON THE CORRELATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS. Curtis F. Marbut, Chairman. Hugh H. Bennett, Inspector, Southern Division. W. Edward Hearn, Inspector, Southern Division. Thomas D. Rice, Inspector. Northern Division. W. E. McLendon, Inspector, Northern Division. Macy H. Lapham, Inspector. Western DiAision. Louise L. Martin, Secretary. o I < (Xi o o UJ JL 00 o *-• >0 O I o 00 o f\j £J > O a o 0; a: Oj 3- rr o c o^ U) CO TO z o o m o n c C >0 O >— ' I"" • O I U) t^ ■t^ • ui Q; to C <- O 3 — rr ui a. c < tn rr O Oi -< rr (D O «/> -t^ • v^ rr a D" CB (ti C C) ^ — C rr Q; O -ft 0) 0) o a, — ■* ~* c • rr Qi rr o 3 rr c o O o o o n o 3 o OC OC »-n o \s\ o o o m 2 O c c >0 r* 3 O 00 :» o + o o r- o I o OD CD o 0& o C C O rn O lO l?3 m H o rr Q^ ui !^ w Q^ cr a> "^ rr (I X rr £b 3 a (D ^- 3 O < h- ft v/f — < OJ O OD x> ro (^ o o U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF SOILS— MILTON WHITNEY, Chief. IN COOPERATION WITH THE UTAH AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, F. S. IIARRI8, DIRECTOR; D. S. JENNINGS, IN CHARGE SOIL SURVEY. SOIL SURVEY OF THE DELTA AREA, UTAH. BY A. T. STRAHORN, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, In Charge, H. STUCKI, and D. S. JENNINGS, of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. MACY H. LAPHAM, Inspector, Western Division. [Advance Sheets— Field Operations of tlie Bureau of Soils, 1919.] WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1922. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Soils, Washington, D. C, March 11, 1922. Sir : Under the cooperative agreement with the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, F. S. Harris, director, a soil survey of the Delta area was carried to completion during the field season of 1919. I hate the honor to transmit herewith the manuscript and map covering this work and to recommend their publication as advance sheets of Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils for 1919, as author- ized by law. Respectfully, MiLTOx Whitney, Chief of Bureau. Hon. H. C. Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture, 2 CONTENTS. Page. SojL Survey of the Delta Akea, Utah. By A. T. Strahobn, of the r. S. Depaktmext of Agbiculti'Be, In Chabcie, and H. Stvcki and D. S. Jennings, of the Utah Agbicultt-ral Experiment Station 5 Description of the area 5 Climate 7 Agriculture 8 Soils 10 Cache loam 15 Cache silty clay loam 15 Woodrow clay loam 17 Woodrow clay 18 Oasis fine sandy loam 20 Oasis silty clay loam 21 Oasis clay 23 Gordon clay 25 Abbott clay 28 Lynndyl gravelly sandy loam 30 Lahontan clay loam 31 Dunesand 31 Rough stony land 31 Alkali and drainage 32 Irrigation 35 Summary 37 ILLUSTRATIONS. colobed platf. Page. Plate A. Alkali map. Delta area sheet 32 plates. Plate I. Fig. 1. — Exposed section in bank of Sevier River at spillway of Gunnison Bend Reservoir. Fig. 2. — Alfalfa on Oasis clay 16 II. Fig. 1. — Growth of greasewood on Oasis clay. Fig. 2. — Area of Gordon clay, slick phiise 16 III. Fig. 1. — Old drainage canal in low, water-logged part of the area. Fig. 2. — Recently excavated drainage ditch made with dredger 16 figube. Fig. 1. Sketch map showing location of the Delta area, Utah 5 map. Soil map, Delta area sheet. Utah. 3 SOIL SURVEY OF THE DELTA AREA, UTAH. By A. T. STRAHORN, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, In Charge, and H. STUCKI and D. S. JENNINGS, of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Sta- tion.— Area Inspected by MACY H. LAPHAM. DESCRIPTIOX OK THE AREA. The Delta area is located in the west-central part of the State of Utah about 140 miles by rail south and slightly west of Salt Lake City. The area lies in the Sevier Desert in the northeastern part of Millard County. The boundaries of the area, which follow town- ship and section lines, include all the land within the several recently organized drainage districts in the valley, as well as the adjacent lands lying near some of the larger irrigation canals. The area is approximately "20 miles in length from north to south, averages about 8 miles in width, and contains about 180 square miles, or 115,200 acres of land. Topograpliically, the area consists of a part of the Lynn Bench and its southern extension occurring along the eastern boundary of the area, and the lower mod- erately sloping floor of the Sevier Desert. The Lynn Bench is an extensive terrace rising from 50 to 75 feet above the lower lands. The terrace margin is well defined and steeply sloping to eroded; the terrace surface is smooth to gently rolling, and is marked by occasional small mounds of wind- blown sand. The southern extension of the Lynn Bench is a smooth to sharply rolling plain lying between the floor of the desert and the base of the mountains along the eastern side of the valley. The western boundary of this plain lies just within the eastern boundar}' of the area surveyed. In places the western edge of the plain is eroded and well definad, but in most places it passes into the lower lands through smooth, gentle slopes and with impercepti- ble changes in soil materials. The Sevier Desert, constituting part 5 Fig. 1. — Sketch map showing location of Delta area, Utah. 6 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919. of the bottom of former Lake Bonneville, is a rather smooth plain sloping soutli, west, and north from the western margin of the Lynn Bench. The surface elevation of this plain ranges from about 4,565 feet to 4,640 feet above sea level. The slope ranges from 5 feet per mile to 20 feet per mile. The principal irregularities of surface are the depressed channel and flood plain of the Sevier River and a somewhat rolling topography in the extreme southern and western parts of the area. In these rolling districts there are occasional knolls and ridges from 6 to 12 feet in height, and in many places a very low, irregular, broken terrace may be traced for considerable distances. Below this terrace the land is exceedingly smooth and with hardly any slope. The Sevier Eiver crosses the area in a southwesterly direction and occupies a channel from 6 to 30 feet or more below the level of the plain. Southward for about 7 miles from the point where the river enters the area it meanders through a narrow flood plain inclosed by vertical or steeply sloping bluffs. South of this to the southern boundary of the area the river follows a tortuous course, flowing in a narrow channel and having no flood plains. Other minor irregularities in the surface of the plain include occasional small sand dunes scattered throughout the area and old abandoned stream channels. Most of the latter are isolated, short, narrow depressions only a fewl feet in depth, but in two cases such channels are continuous for several miles. The Sevier River and Tenmile Hollow Creek drain the Delta area. The Sevier River and its tributaries have their source in the elevated plateaus in the Sevier Mountains, about 120 miles south of this area. The river takes a general northerly course to a point some 30 miles northeast of Delta, and, turning sharply to the southwest, crosses the desert and discharges into Sevier Lake, some 25 miles southwest of the town of Delta. Tenmile Hollow Creek is a small intermittent stream southeast of Delta, which gathers surface and seepage waters along its course and discharges into Mud Lake, a short distance south of the area. The Sevier Desert was apparently ' first visited by white men in 1776, when two Franciscan friars, Escalante and Dominguez, passed southward in search of a route between the mission at Santa Fe and the missions on the California coast. From about 1825 until shortly after the arrival of the Mormons at the present site of Salt Lake City in 1847 numerous trappers and explorers passed through this part of the State, but it was not until about 1851-52 that the first permanent settlement was made. At that time Brigham Young selected a site on Chalk Creek (about 30 miles southeast of the pres- ent town of Delta) for the first capital of the Territory of Utah. This settlement was knoAvn as Fillmore, and has been the county seat since the organization of Millard County. Other settlements. SOIL- SURVEY OF DELTA AREA, UTAH. 7 such as Oak City, Holden, and Meadow, sprang up later along the western base of the Canyon Mountains, in situations where the moun- tain streams afforded a supply of water for domestic use and for the irrigation of small tracts of land. Development on the floor of the desert did not take place until about 1860, when some land in the southwestern part of this area was irrigated by the diversion of water from the Sevier River. Oasis was established upon the con- struction of the Utah Central Railroad, about 1875, between Salt Lake City and Milford. This road, known as the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad, was later extended to Los Angeles, Calif., and is now a part of the Union Pacific System. The pojDulation of the area is largely rural. Delta, Hinckley, Oasis, and Deseret are the larger towns in the area. Delta being the commercial center of the district. Sutherland, Woodrow, and Sugar- ville are crossroad stores northwest of Delta, and Steele, Erwin, Abbott, Wilson, Gordon, Lucerne, and La Moto are sidings on a branch line of railroad where facilities are available for the loading of sugar beets during the harvest season. The main line of the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad passes through the area in a northeast-southwest direction and affords out- lets to eastern, northern, and Pacific coast markets. A branch line extending northwest from Delta is largely utilized for transporting sugar beets to the factory at that place. The area is well supplied with earth roads. Similar roads extend east and south to the outlying settlements along the base of the Can- yon Range, and two wagon roads extend west into Nevada. The roads are usually in good condition when dry, but ape often impass- able during the irrigation season, owing to the careless use of irriga- tion water. CLIMATE. With the exception of an unofficial record of the rainfall at Deseret for a number of years, there are no climatic data available for the Delta area. The annual precipitation for this region is apparently about 8 inches, the larger part being in the fonn of rain. June, July, and August are usually the driest months of the year, and about 50 per cent of the annual precipitation comes in the months of February to May, inclusive. During the spring months the storms occasionally bring sufficient rain to help the early growth of crops, and the fall rains may be of some aid to fall-sown grain, but during the rest of the growing season the precipitation is very light, and irrigation is necessary for crop production. The snowfall is light and seldom covers the ground, except for short periods after the heavier storms. Hail and electrical storms are rare. 8 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919. The seasonal temperatures seem to vary from somewhat over 100° F. during the summer months to probably as low as —15° during the winter season. Killing frosts in the fall usually occur early in Sep- tember and are a matter of considerable importance, as the yield of alfalfa seed and hay may be seriously affected by early freezing temperatures. The last killing frost in the spring usually occurs late in May, and although unseasonably low temperatures may, in occasional years, do some damage during the growing season the prin- cipal crops (alfalfa, grain, and sugar beets) seldom suffer any material injury. The wind movement is usually high during spring and smnmer, and low during the rest of the year. Strong southerly winds often blow for days at a time during summer, making haying operations difficult, and affecting the water content of the irrigated soils. The direction of the prevailing winds is north, AGRICULTURE. Agriculture in the Delta area had its beginning about I860, when a small colony of settlers from Fillmore began the irrigation and cul- tivation of the lands south of the present town of Deseret. Water was diverted from the Sevier Eiver, but as there were no storage facilities the supply was uncertain during the latter part of the growing season. Owing to this and the isolation of the district, de- velopment was very slow. It was not until about 30 years ago that the districts around Abraham, Hinckley, and Oasis were brought under irrigation through the storage in and diversion of water from the Gunnison Bend Reservoir. The region south of Delta and in the northern parts of the area east of the Abraham district were opened to settlement about 10 years ago, following the construction of addi- tional storage works on the Sevier River some distance north of the town of Delta. Alfalfa hay and seed were practically the only crops grown in the valley 10 or 12 years ago. During that time some of the hay was fed, but the larger part of it was baled and shipped to outside mar- kets. When the northern and eastern parts of the area were de- veloped, a considerable acreage was devoted to grain. The growing of grain has lately been extended to the older districts, but the largest acreage is still in the northern part of the area. Sugar beets have become one of the leading crops of the district within the last 4 years. The last season (1918) grain occupied about 9,000 acres, 80 per cent of which was fall-sown wheat. The average yield is less than 10 bushels per acre. Grain is irrigated by flooding, usually once in the fall, and once or twice in the spring, depending upon the soil and the SOIL SURVEY OF DELTA AREA, UTAH. 9 season. Spring-sown grain is often irrigated four or five times. Fall-sown grain is the principal crop on newly broken ground, and upon old ground it commonly follows native grass or sugar beets. Alfalfa, which was grown on about 13,000 acres during 1918, is sown only upon land that has been under cultivation for some time. Some difficulty is commonly experienced in obtaining good stands of this crop. Apparently this is partly due to the absence of the neces- sary bacteria, and very often to the crusting and baking of the surface of the heavier soils. Two or three cuttings of hay a season and some fall pasturage are obtained if no seed is ripened. ^\Tien seed is desired, only one cutting of hay is made, about the 1st of July, and the following growth is allowed to mature. The seed crop is usually cut early in September, and is occasionally affected in both quantity and quality by early frosts. In 1918 the average yield of seed in the district was about bushels per acre. The 1919 crop was all con- tracted for at prices ranging from 22 to 29 cents per pound. Alfalfa hay is selling (1919) for about $20 a ton in the stack. Sugar beets are grown only upon land that has been under cultiva- tion for some time, and it is the prevailing opinion that they do best when grown on land previously in alfalfa. This year (1919) about 10,000 acres were in beets, and the average yield was about 6 tons per acre. Under contracts with the sugar factory in effect for this season, the farmers were paid a flat rate of $10 per ton. The growing of vegetables and fruits is rarel}' attempted, although there is no reason why this area should not produce a sufficient supply of fruits and vegetables, except the more tender, to meet the local demands. The prevalence of late spring frosts will probably prevent fruit growing becoming a commercial enterprise. Small quantities of fruits and vegetables are brought into this district from settlements on the east, but the larger proportion of such perishables come from California and Idaho, and from the older farming districts of the northern part of the State. Dairjdng has received little attention up to the present time, although there are no reasons why this should not become one of the important industries of the valley. Few cattle are raised within the area, but cattle from outside points are fed during tlie winter in increasing numbers. No commercial fertilizers are used in the area, and but very little of the land receives any manure or other form of organic material. Most of the soils have a very unfavorable structure, so that they bake and crack after the application of water. This structure not only makes the usual tillage operations difficult, but it often makes it difficult to secure satisfactory stands of young plants. 96177°— 22 2 10 FIELD OPERATIOiSIS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1^19. SOILS. The valley in which the Delta area lies is structural in origin, being due to faulting and block movement, the Pavant Eange, bound- ing it on the east, consisting of a raised block and the valley a depressed one. The original valley surface over the whole area included in the Delta soil survey has been covered to great depth by rock waste, probably brought into the valley mainly by the Sevier River and de- posited partly in a great lake (Lake Bonneville) once occupying^ it and to some extent by local wash from the adjacent Pavant Range. It is possible that more or less material from various lands around the now extinct lake reached this valley and was deposited in it during the period when the lake was in existence. The essential fact about the material is that it came from geologic formations not only varying greatly in age — from Devonian to Tertiary — but as widely in their lithologic and mineralogic characters. The Sevier River and its tributaries that have contributed material to this area drain areas of sandstone, limestone, volcanic rocks, probably volcanic ash, and shale. It traverses also beds of gypsum, rock salt, rocks with high percentages of sodium and magnesium salts, alum salts, and alunite. It can be seen, therefore, that the deposits consist of an extremely wide range of geologic and mineralogic material.^ The older sediments have been deeply buried and appear only at the higher levels of the former lake, and within the Delta area heavy compact stratified materials that appear to represent such deposits are found in only a very few localities. The lighter tex- tured materials deposited within the basin are usually finely strati- fied, and the abrupt variations in the texture of the sediments ap- pear to indicate that the fluctuations in the depth of the lake may have been sharply defined, there being long periods of submergence when silts and clays predominated in the sediments, and periods of recession when the coarser textured materials were carried far- ther into the lake. Aside from the local erosion of the sediments by the Sevier River, as it develops its depressed flood plain, the soils are stable at the present time, and there has been but little change in the topography or the distribution of soil material since the disappearance of Sevier Lake. Plate I, Figure 1, shows an exposure of the sedimentary deposits of the desert floor. Within the delta of the Sevier River, these con- sist in part of compact, light-colored, stratified clays, and more ex- tensively of light-textured, porous, gravelly materials, the former being old lacustrine sediments and the latter apparently represent- ' U. S. Geological Survey, MonoKraph No. 1. ' This statement is based on information furnished by Dr. William Petersen, director Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. SOIL SURVEY OF DELTA AREA, UTAH. 11 ing what was a submerged delta of the Sevier River at a time when Lake Bonneville may have been somewhat below its maximum level. The remainder of the deposits in the area represent materials that were carried by the Sevier River into the fluctuating Sevier Lake. The source of much of the older sediments is unknown, but the more recent materials, coming from within the watershed of the Sevier River, have been derived largely from sandstone and shale, and metamorphosed sediments represented mainly by reddish quartz- ites. Areas of igneous rocks also occur in the higher regions of the watershed, but as they are less easily eroded they have probably contributed little to the formation of the present soils. Notwith- standing this supposed derivation of the soil material from non- carbonate rocks, all the soils have a high lime content, ranging, in those so far analjzed, up to 20 per cent or more of the air-dried sample. With the exception of minor areas of Dunesand and Rough stony land, all of the soils within the area are classed in the old-valley filling group. They are formed therefore from waterlaid deposits that have undergone physical and probably chemical changes through weathering since they were accumulated. The physical changes are manifested in the surface soils by certain conditions of structure which range from smooth, hard, and compact, to loose and puffy. A mottling of colors is commonly present in the heavier textured subsoils, and a compacted layer is usually found a few inches below the surface. The group is represented locallj'^ by seven series of soils. Each series has certain rather pronounced and consistent character- istics of color and structure that distinguish it from the other series. Each of these series of soils is divided into soil types, the differen- tiation of these being based upon differences in texture determined by the relative content of sand, silt, and clay. With the exception of the Lynndyl series and the two types of miscellaneous materials, the topography of these types is that of a smooth, moderately sloping plain, broken in the southern and western parts of the area by a low rolling surface. All these series are mark- edlj' calcareous in both the surface soil and subsoil, and, although no hardpan is present, the soils of one series show a slight tendency toward cementation a few inches below the surface. In color the surface soils range from light brown to dark gray. The soil materials are seldom sharply defined by color differences, but merge one into another through faint gradations, and the soil bound- aries, as shown upon the map, seldom represent distinct lines of demarcation but rather mark the approximate center of a zone of color transition. Not only is it a difficult matter to establish a satisfactory differentiation of the soils in this survey on a basis of color, but distinction on a basis of texture is often equally illu- 12 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919. sive. This is due mainly to the large amount of silt in all the heavier types, and also to a pronounced flocculation of the materials in the surface soils, which makes the soil texture appear to be lighter than it really is. In the virgin soils throughout the area there is developed con- sistently a thin surface crust beneath which there occurs a layer a few inches thick of a loose, jflocculated material. The same feature develops in the areas that have been left out of cultivation for a year or so. This peculiarity is less pronounced in the soils of the Lynndj'^l series, and usually most strongly developed in the heavier textured types of the other series. Hard, barren, playa-like surfaces are developed in a number of localities, and in two places were of sufficient extent to be mapped as a soil phase. All the types mapped in this area were developed under arid conditions. The}'^ are treeless, rather low in content of organic matter, and unleached, and contain much lime in both surface soil and subsoil. The arable soils mapped in the Delta area are classed in the Cache, Woodrow, Oasis, Gordon, Abbott, Lynndyl, and Lahontan series. Dunesand and Rough stony land comprise two additional nonagricul- tural types of miscellaneous materials. The types of the Cache series are characterized by light brownish gray or light grayish brown surface soils, with a pinkish or reddish tint, and a light pinkish gray subsoil. Both surface soil and sub- soil are highly calcareous, and the lime gives a light-gray color to dry field surfaces and samples, and particularly to samples of the subsoil. The substratum consists of calcareous lake-laid silts and clays, stratified, compact, and in places jointed, and of pinkish or light reddish brown color. In this area the surface soils under moist field conditions are somewhat browner than in areas pre- viously mapped, and the subsoil is not so pink and in places includes darker colored strata. The soils are derived from old lake-laid de- posits which had their source mainly in limestones, quartzites, and other sedimentary rocks. The topography is flat, and the drainage in most places rather poor, the internal movement of water being re- tarded by the compact heavy subsoil. The soils were developed under conditions of low rainfall. They are treeless, and in places contain excessive amounts of alkali salts. The Cache loam and the Cache silty clay loam are mapped in this area. The surface soils of the Woodrow series, when dry, are prevail- ingly light grayish brown to gray in color, with considerable areas of grayish -brown and dark-gray variations, and small local areas in which the color approaches a light reddish brown when moist. The subsoil is of heawv texture and light-brown color, modified by thin strata of red, reddish brown, and black and by mottlings of SOIL SURVEY OF DELTA AREA, UTAH. 13 gray and reddish brown. The surface is usually smooth, thouprh in places gently rolling. Surface and internal drainage are sufficient under conditions of normal rainfall, but the heavy subsoil retards the escape of irrigation water, and areas of alkali and water-logged soils occur. Two types of the Woodrow series are mapped in this area, the clay loam and the clay. In the Oasis series the color of the surface soils is like that of the Woodrow series, except that the reddish-brown color occurring in places in the "VVoodrow soils does not occur in the Oasis. As with the Woodrow series, the boundaries between types of this and of the associated Gordon and Abbott series are indefinite. The subsoil, though generally light textured, may contain thin strata of heavier materials, prevailingly light brown, with local variations of light yellowish brown. The topography of the Oasis soils ranges from smooth and gently sloping to slightly undulating. The drainage afforded by the light-textured subsoil is ample to care for the normal precipitation, but where large amounts of irrigation water are used areas of water-logged soils occur. Three types and two phases of this series are mapped in this area — ^the Oasis fine sandy loam with a bench phase, the Oasis silty clay loam with a light-textured bench phase, and the Oasis cla3\ Under moist field conditions the surface soils of the types included in the Gordon series are dark brownish gray or dark gray ; the dry surfaces and drj' sample have a somewhat lighter gray color. Within the areas the color is uniform, but toward their margins, where the soils grade into types of the Woodrow or Oasis series, it shades to- ward light brown or grayish brown. The subsoil is similar to that of the Oasis subsoil in color, texture, and structure. Considerable areas of the Gordon soils carry rather large amounts of alkali. In some places this' series has a gently rolling topography, but generally the surface is smooth and in places so level as to suggest the location of former lakes or ponds. The Gordon clay and a slick phase and friable phase of the type are mapped in the present area. The Abbott series includes types with dark-gray or brownish-gray soils which appear lighter gray on bleached field surfaces and in dry samples. The color is uniform, except in zones of transition into the lighter colored soils of the Woodrow or the Oasis series. In color, texture, and structure the surface soils of the Abbott series are very similar to those of the Gordon series, but there is a marked dif- ference in the subsoils. The subsoil of the Abbott is prevailingly light brownish gray to gray, mottled here and there, heavy in texture, and compact in structure. Some of the types contain alkali. One type, the Abbott clay, with a silty phase, has been mapped in this area. 14 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1&19. The types of the Lynndyl series have light-brown surface soils and a subsoil either similar in color to the soil or showing various shades of brown. Except in very small areas, both the surface soil and subsoil contain appreciable quantities of fine waterworn gravel, and in many places the gravel is so abundant as to form the bulk of the subsoil material. The deeper substratum, where exposed along the Sevier Eiver, exhibits strata of compact fine sands, gravels, and, in a few places, other materials. Both the surface soil and subsoil are highly calcareous, and in places there is a slightly cemented struc- ture a few inches below the surface. The topography is gently roll- ing, and the drainage is excessive. The soil is free from alkali. Only one type of the Lynndyl series, the gravelly sandy loam, is found in the Delta area. The types included in the Lahontan series have light grayish brown to light brownish gray surface soils, and compact stratified grayish clay, subsoils. Commonly there is a thin layer of black fine sandy loam just above the clay. The Lahontan series is derived from the old lake sediments. In the present area material of this kind is exposed in only two localities, but the deposits undoubtedly underlie all the soils, and appear at or near the surface in consider- able bodies a short distance east of the area. The natural drainage is deficient, the soils are highly charged with alkali, and in one body a badly water-logged condition has developed through seepage from an adjacent canal. Only one type, the Lahontan clay loam, is mapped in the Delta area. Dunesand and Rough stony land include miscellaneous materials. The Dunesand is largely nonagricultural, and the Rough stony land is entirely so. The soil types of the Delta area are described in detail in the fol- lowing pages of this report, and their distribution is shown on the accompanying soil map. The table below shows the actual and rel- ative extent of the types in the area. Areas of different soils. Soil. Oasisclay Gordon clay Friable phase Slick phase Oasis silty clay loam Light-textured bench phase. Oasis fine sandy loam Bench phase Abbott clay Silty phase 28,480 12,992 1,856 384 14,400 448 13,440 128 8,960 3,136 Per cent. 24.7 13.2 12.9 In. 10.5 Soil. Cache silty clay loam Woodrow clay loam Woodrow clay Lynndyl gravelly sandy loam Cache loam Lahontan clay loam Dunesand Rough stony land Total 11,392 9,024 5,376 1,856 1,408 1,344 512 64 115,200 Per cent. 9.9 7.8 4.7 1.6 1.2 1.2 .4 .1 SOIL SURVEY OF DELTA AEEA, UTAH. 15 CACHE LOAM. The Cache loam consists of a light brownish gray to light grayish brown loam, 10 to 24 inches deep, resting on a subsoil composed of strata of light grayish brown to dull grayish brown clay loam and clay, usually silty in texture, extending to a depth of 6 feet or more. The color of the surface soil is rendered darker than normal in places by the presence of seepage water and excessive amounts of alkali. Dry surface and subsoil samples have a lighter color, in which gray predominates. Where the type merges into types of the Gordon or Abbott series the color shades to a dark gray. The surface soil is usually porous, the particles being well flocculated, but in many places where there is considerable alkali or excessive moisture it is very compact and can hardly be distinguished from the heavier types of the series. The subsoil is generally heavy and compact, but contains occasional thin strata of light-brown fine sandy loam. Gray and brown mottling is not uncommon in the subsoil. The type is confined to a few small bodies in the extreme southern and western parts of the area. The topography is smooth, except in one area northwest of Abraham, where it is rolling and hummocky. The drainage is somewhat deficient, owing to the compact structure of the subsoil, and some areas have a high water table and excessive amounts of alkali. Nearly all the Cache loam is under cultivation. The principal crops are alfalfa, grain, and sugar beets. Alfalfa probably occupies over 50 per cent of the total area of the type. Tliis soil is easily tilled and is retentive of moisture. Where the water-logged and alkali areas are reclaimed, even this land can be utilized for crop produc- tion. The following table gives the results of mechanical analyses of samples of the soil and subsoil of the type : Mechanical analyses of Cache loam. Number. Description. Fine gravel. Coarse sand. Medium sand. Fine sand. Very fine sand. Silt. Clay. 520725 Soil Per cent. 0.0 .0 Per cent. 0.0 .0 Percent. 0.3 .0 Percent. 8.3 1.2 Percent. 34.6 20.6 Per Cfnt. 39.2 58.7 Percent. 17.7 520726 Subsoil 19.6 CA.CHE SILTY CLAY LOAM. The Cache silty clay loam is a light grayish brown sticky silty clay loam, 8 to 30 inches deep, underlain by a subsoil of compact, grayish-brown, stratified clay loam and clay. In dry samples the color is lighter and the gray color predominates. The surface soil 16 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919. grades imperceptibly into «:rrayish-browii and dark-j^-ay variations where the type merges into associated types of the Gordon or the Abbott series. A very light reddish brown or pinkish tint is de- veloped in places, but is less pronounced than in some of the other types. In the virgin areas the surface soil is somewhat compact and has a grayish color, but the surface material in the larger areas has a rather puffy, flocculent structure, which is most strongly developed around the desert shrubs. The subsoil is prevailingly heavy and com- pact, but locally the texture of the surface soil continues downward to a depth of several feet, and in places the subsoil contains seams and thin layers of fine sand and fine sandy loam. The color of the subsoil is also varied by grayish-brown and reddish-brown mottlings, and by thin strata that are dark brown, black, or red. The largest development of this type is a nearly continuous body extending in a general southeastern direction from the town of Delta to the southern boundary of the area and southwesterly from that place along the railroad for a distance of about 3 miles. Sev- eral areas, esuch having an extent of several hundred acres, are developed in the vicinity of Sutherland and east of Woodrow, and smaller areas occur throughout the survey. Because of the heavy subsoil drainage is generally deficient, though the conditions vary widely in the different areas. The greater part of those bordering upon the Gunnison Bend Reservoir and the Sevier River has been but little affected by water-logging from irrigation. In a number of other localities, where some of the larger canals pass through or near bodies of the type, as east of Delta and Sutherland, seepage waters have ruined a considerable acreage of land. Along Tenmile HoUoW Creek, and farther south near the boundary of the area, unfavorable moisture conditions and excessive accumulations of alkali seem always to have existed. The large area of tliis type that extends southwest from the town of Delta carries but little alkali, and parts of it may be considered as free from alkali. Throughout most of the other areas, however, alkali is either present in quantities that inhibit crop growth or approximate the limit of tolerance for cultivated crops. A large part of this type is under cultivation at the present time, but some of this would probably be abandoned soon were it not for the protective drainage measures now being carried out. Some areas of soil are still in a virgin state because of unfavorable alkali con- ditions, and a large acreage of this type that was once under culti- vation has been abandoned; in some cases the true alkali conditions were not realized at the time of development, in other cases the soil has, to use a local expression, "gone bad" tlirough the effects of accumulation of alkali salts caused by seepage and the use of excessive quantities of irrigation water. Report of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1919. Plate I. Fig. I. — Exposed Section in Bank of Sevier River at Spillway of Gunni- son Bend Reservoir. Showins slralifietl scdinienls of the desert door from whith mnst of the soils of the Delta Area are derived. Fig. 2. — Alfalfa on Oasis Clay. Report of Bureau of Soils. U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 1919. Plate 1 1 p,Q 1 — Growth of Greasewood on Oasis Clay. Fig. 2.— Area of Gordon Clay, Slick Phase. Nole barren and cracked surface. Report of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 1919. Plate III. Fig. I. — Old Drainage Canal in Low, Water-Logged Part of the Area. This canal was ini'lTec-live, owintc to iiisuttitiein depth. S I066S. Fig. 2. — Recently Excavated Drainage Ditch Made With Dredger. An example of recent drainage const nui ion, in which the canals are wider and of greater depth and etTectiveness. SOIL. SURVEY OF DELTA AREA, UTAH. 17 The Cache silty clay loam, particularly in its heavier variations, IS rather difficult to handle, as it has a tendency to bake and crack and form crusts on the surface after rains or irrigation. It is frequently necessary to use an early irrigation to help the young plants to break through the crust. A more liberal incorporation of organic matter would greatly reduce the cracking and crusting ten- dency of this soil, and make plowing and cultivation easier. Sugar beets and alfalfa are the principal crops grown. Several areas, par- ticularly in the southern part of the survey, lie too low to be bene- fited by the proposed drainage systems; the rest of the type can be reclaimed. The following table gives the results of mechanical analyses of samples of the soil and subsoil of the Cache silty clay loam : Mechanical analyses of Cache silty clay loam. Number. Description. Fine gravel. Coarse sand. Medium sand. Fine saud. Very fine sand. sut. Clay. 520715 Soil Per cent. 0.0 .1 Percent. 1.4 .6 Percent. 0.6 .4 Percent. 8.8 2.2 Percent. 4.3 2.4 Percent. 58.0 48. 6 Percent. 27 2 520716 Subsoil 45 5 WOODROW CLAY LOAM. The surface soil of the Woodrow clay loam consists of a light gray- ish brown to grayish-brown heavy sticky clay loam 12 to 24 inches deep. In dry samples the gray color predominates. The subsoil is a light gra3'ish brown to gray and rarely a yellowish-brown clay. Pronounced gray to dark-gray variations in the color of the surface soil occur in the vicinity of types of either the Gordon or Abbott series. Material of reddish-brown color is found in a small area about 2^ miles north of Hinckley, and a pinkish tinge occurs in several of the bodies south of Delta. In a number of places thin layers of dark-brown to black, or nearly red, heavy-textured material are pres- ent in the lower part of the surface soil and in the subsoil. In virgin areas the surface soil commonly consists of a very thin crust, which cracks upon drying, underlain by a loose, flocculent layer, 2 to 4 inches deep, and this in turn by the sticky clay loam. This condition is par- ticularly well developed in the southern part of T. 17 S., R. 8 W. This structure is destroyed by cultivation, and the surfaces of recently abandoned fields show a tendency toward an adobe structure. Locally the surface soil extends without distinctive subsoil to a depth of 6 feet or more. The normal clay texture of the subsoil in places, particu- larly adjacent to members of the Oasis and Gordon series, is inter- rupted by thin strata of light-brown or light yellowish brown fine sand or fine sandy loam. Mottlings of grayish color and leddish- 96177°— 22 3 18 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919. brown stains are not iincommon in the subsoil. Hardpan does not occur, but the subsoil is very compact in places and obstructs the free moveir.ent of the soil moisture. Some small areas in which the surface soil is heavier than typical, being a light clay in texture, are included with this type. The Woodrow clay loam is rather extensively developed immedi- ately east of Oasis, and there are some fair-sized bodies in the more southern parts of the area. In the central and nothem parts the areas are smaller and fewer in number. The surface of the Woodrow clay loam is very smooth in the body east of Oasis and in nearly all parts of the area, except west of Hinckley, where it is nearly everywhere gently rolling and in places so broken that the land is hardly adapted for irrigation. The drainage of the type is restricted. In the southern bodies the soil is permanently too wet for cultivation, and because of its low position it can not be profitably reclaimed. Many of the more elevated bodies to the north are wet, either because of seepage or the careless use of irrigation water. These bodies can be reclaimed by drainage and again made profitable farming land. The larger part of the t^pe east of Oasis contains too much alkali for the production of crops, and a similar condition exists in the southern bodies and in those west of Hinckle3^ ^orth of Hinckley the alkali content of the soil varies con- siderably in the different bodies. Only a small part of the type west of Sugarville can be considered as free from alkali. All this soil in the vicinity of Oasis was at one time under cultiva- tion, but it has largely been abandoned because of alkali. Similar con- ditions exist in many of the bodies north and east of Oasis and Deseret. In the southern townships of the area the larger part of the type has never been under cultivation, and the rather uneven surface west of Hinckley has retarded the development of land in that district. The soil puddles readily when irrigated, and bakes into hard clods upon drying. Tillage is difficult at all times, and there is but a short period when the soil is in a favorable working condition. The liberal use of manure or other forms of organic matter would greatly reduce the tendency of the soil to bake and crack, and render crop production more certain. WOODKOW CLAY. The Woodrow clay consists of 6 feet or more of a gi-ayish-brown to brownish-gray clay, the gray being more pronounced in the dry sample. Considerable areas of the clay types of both the Gordon and Abbott series have a similar color, and considerable difficulty was experienced in placing the boundaries separating these types. Below the surface the material is normally brow^ner than the surface ma- terial, and commonly marked with grayish or reddish-brown mot- tlings, and cut by occasional thin strata of material ranging in color SOIL SURVEY OF DELTA AREA, UTAH. 19 from yellowish and grayish brown to reddish brown. The surface soil in places assumes the puffy, flocculent condition that is developed throughout much of the clay loam of the series. In other places, particularly in the southwestern corner of the area, and to a less ex- tent in the body south of Abraham, the surface soil often cracks and bakes into small clods in a manner that is strongly suggestive of the adobe soils. The subsoil is not cemented, but is in places so compact as greatly to retard the movement of water. The normal clay sub- soil is occasionally interrupted by thin strata of lighter textured materials, particularly in the vicinity of members of the Oasis and Gordon series. The Woodrow clay occurs only in the southern half of the area, principally west of Deseret and along the southern boundary. One area of this type in the southern part of T. 17 S., R. 8 W., has a rolling and hummocky topography, but most of the areas have a smooth, flat surface. Drainage is deficient. Along the southern boundary east of the main line of the railroad some areas occupy low flats, are constantly wet, and can not be reclaimed. Some of the more northerly areas are unfavorably moist and in their natural condition can not be cultivated, but all these will be reclaimable after completion of drainage systems now being installed. Very little of the type is free from dangerous amounts of alkali. Except in the southern bodies of low elevation, the greater part of the alkali salts lies at some distance below the surface, and in the native state the alkali condi- tions are not always apparent. As a result many tracts have been cultivated for a short period, and finally abandoned. These are now returning to their original condition, and the amount of alkali present can be determined only by a series of tests covering the entire^ soil profile. This t3^pe is devoted almost exclusively to the production of alfalfa. The soil is difficult to handle at all times, and owing to the marked tendency of the surface soil to form a hard crust after irrigation, considerable difficulty is often experienced in obtaining a satisfac- tory stand of young plants. The thorough incorporation of organic matter would tend to correct this condition to a considerable degree. The folloAving table gives the results of mechanical analyses of samples of the soil and subsoil of this type : Mechanical analj/.^- "SS^uS^ t,S;eS'"S iS'''-v'-'.i :. -^"^t ,>S?S- ..■=_~ l' ■■="=• .^^^Si iis»j;5«,i 'SS. + ■" ^^ ~"i§ ■■""""■"■ U,,™-n^^ ll' """^' S^ ^:i rZ3l .SiTii [Public Resoiaition — ^No. 9.] JOINT RKSOLT'TION AmcndiiiK public resolution numbered ciRht, Fifty-sixth Congress, second session, approved February twenty-tbird, nineteen liuudred and one, " providing for the printlnf; annually of Ibe report on field operations of the Division of Soils, IX-- partment of Agriculture." Resolved J)y the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress asseinhled, That public resolution nuinbored eight. Fifty- sixth Congress, second session, approved February twenty-third, nineteen hun- dred and cue, be amended by striking out all after the resolving clause and in- sorting in lieu thereof tlie following: That there shall be printed ten thousand five hundred copies of the report on field operations of the Division of Soils, Department of Agriculture, of which one thousand five hundred copies shall be for the use of the Senate, three thousand copies for the use of the House of Representatives, and six thousand copies for the use of the Department of Agriculture : Provided, That in addition to the number of copies above provided for there shall be printed, as soon as the manuscript can be prepared, with the necessary maps and illustrations to ac- company it, a report on each area suiTeyed, in the form of advance sheets, bound in paper covers, of which five hundred copies shall be for the use of each Senator from the State, two thousand copies for the use of each Representative for the congressional district or districts in which the survey is made, and one thousand copies for the use of the Department of Agriculture. Approved, March 14, 1904. [On July 1, 1901, the .Division of Soils was rH)rganized as the Bureau of Soils.] \n!is Slll-veyetl ill IimIi slmwu I'.v sliailiiij;.