Dekalb Stony Fine Sandy Loam, Colluvial Phase.—The Colluvial
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SOIL SURVEY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA 17 16 BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY AND SOILS, 1927 The land ranges from steeply sloping to hilly, with some narrow Probably less than 10 per cent of the land is cleared ; the re- and slightly rounded ridge crests included. Surface drainage is mainder supports a forest of oak, hickory, pine, chestnut (sprouts good or excessive, and underdrainage is good. of blight-killed trees) , with some black walnut, black locust, butter- This is not an extensive soil, and little of it has been developed for nut, tulip tree, and dogwood. The undergrowth consists mostly of agricultural purposes. Locally, a few acres are included in orchards brambles, huckleberry, laurel, and wild grapevines. Iii easily ac- and pastures, but about 98 per cent of the land remains in forest or cessible sections most of the large timber has been removed, and the cut-over land, from which some crosswise, mine props, and tanbark rest is being rapidly taken out. The second growth and young tim- are cut. ber left when the land was first cut over is now furnishing crossties, DEKALB SILT LOAM mine props, and tanbark. Apples are by far the most important farm crops grown on this To a depth ranging from 4 to 6 inches Dekalb silt loam consists soil, and good yields of excellent quality are obtained. From the of grayish-brown friable silt loam. Virgin areas are covered by a small acreage planted to corn very good yields, from about 25 to 35 1 or 2 inch layer of dark-brown loamy leaf mold. The upper sub- bushels to the acre, are obtained. This soil warms up early in the soil layer between depths of 6 and 12 inches is pale-yellow slightly spring, making it desirable for early vegetables. granular friable silt loam or silty clay loam. This is underlain to a Dekalb stony fine sandy loam, colluvial phase.—The colluvial depth of 18 inches by pale-yellow slightly compact silty clay which phase of Dekalb stony fine sandy loam consists of a mixture of talus breaks in fragments about one-fourth inch in diameter. Bedrock or material fallen or washed down from higher land. It generally partly decomposed rock is reached at a depth of less than 30 inches. containsboulders so many rounded or semirounded sandstone fragments and A few small rock fragments are scattered over the surface but are that the soil is unsuited to agriculture. not abundant within the soil to a depth of 15 inches. In most places the surface soil is light-brown or grayish-brown Areas mapped along North River on sloping benchiike positions fine sandy loam from 4 to 8 inches deep, and the subsoil ranges well above the river resemble stream-bench soils but have the char- fromcollegial pale-yellow fine sandy loam to brownish-yellow silty clay. Tine acteristic Dekalb features. Similar areas occur along South Branch phase closely resembles typical Dekalb stony fine sandy loam. Potomac River between Pancake School and Glebe. It occurs as patches or narrow strips along the bases of the higher This soil occurs only in small bodies, widely distributed over the mountain slopes. The largest areas are those at Yellow Spring, county. The largest area, which occurs on a nearly level hill crest, at the base of Short Mountain near Mount Zion Church, and at the is at and just south of Augusta. The soil characteristically occurs base of Cooper Mountain west of Capon Bridge. on nearly flat areas, rounded hilltops, and gentle lower slopes. It is Practically all the land remains in forest. A few areas are cleared well drained. for pasture. A small, though good, orchard is established in part About 90 per cent of the land is in use for general farm crops. on the area mapped near Mount Zion Church. The originals forest growth was oak, hickory, dogwood, gum, and pine. Much of the land along North River and South Branch Po- DEKALB STONY LOAM tomac River is used for pasture, principally for beef cattle and for In wooded areas Dekalb stony loam, to a depth of 1 or 2 inches some sheep. Corn yields from about 20 to 30 bushels to the acre, consists of forest litter. This is underlain by yellowish-brown silt wheat from 10 to 15 bushels, buckwheat from 20 to 35 bushels, oats 1 loam which extends to a depth ranging from 4 to 6 inches. The from 25 to 35 bushels, rye from 5 to 15 bushels, timothy hay, 1 /2 upper subsoil layer, extending to a depth of 12 or 14 inches, is tons, and mixed clover and timothy hay, 2 tons. Soybeans are grown brownish-yellow or pale-yellow slightly granular silt loam. Below on a small scale for hay, yielding from 1 to 2 tons to the acre, and this layer and continuing to a depth ranging from 20 to 24 inches as a soil-improvement crop. is slightly compact yellowish-brown silty clay which on pressure The use of more legumes and lime and deeper plowing are recom- breaks into irregular fragments 1 inch or less in diameter. Below mended to increase yields. this layer and extending to bedrock, which lies at a depth of about 30 inches, is the yellow, partly disintegrated shale and sandstone of DEKALB GRAVELLY FINE SANDY LOAM the parent material, containing gray, red, and rust-brown mottles. yellowish-brown The surface soil of Dekalb gravelly fine sandy loam is Strewn over the surface and throughout the soil are fragments of friable fine sandy loam from 6 to 8 inches deep. The subsoil the more resistant sandstone, ranging in diameter from 1 to 6 inches. is pale-yellow friable loam or silt loam, which is underlain by bed- These rocks prevent the cultivation of most of the soil. rock or disintegrated rock at a depth ranging from about 20 to 24 Areas of this soil, which are fairly uniform throughout Hampshire inches. Numerous rock fragments from 1 to 3 inches in diameter County, occupy the middle mountain slopes and in many places occur are disseminated through the soil and scattered over the surface. between the higher rough stony land or stony fine sandy loam soils Under forest conditions the 2-inch surface layer is grayish-brown and the lower heavier valley soils. The soil also occurs on the sec- or light-brown material having a shallow covering of dark-brown ondary mountain ridges and hilltops of the intermountain valleys. loamy leaf mold. Some small isolated very gravelly areas of this The most typical development is on the slopes of Patterson Creek soil are associated with the Lehew and Meigs soils near Three Mountain and South Branch Mountain and on the crests of Stony Churches and north of Ebenezer Church 3 miles east of Romney. and Timber Mountains and Chestnut Oak and Mouser Ridges. 13934-31 3 .