Soil Survey of Harris County, Texas Page: 36
140 p., [72] fold. leaves of plates : ill. ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
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Soil Survey of Harris County, Texas
Capability Classes and
Subclasses
Capability grouping shows, in a general
way, the suitability of soils for most kinds of
field crops. The soils are grouped
according to their limitations when they are
used for field crops, the risk of damage
when they are used, and the way they
respond to treatment. The grouping does
not take into account major and generally
expensive landforming that would change
slope, depth, or other characteristics of the
soils; does not take into consideration
possible but unlikely major reclamation
projects; and does not apply to rice,
horticultural crops, or other crops that
require special management. This
classification is not a substitute for
interpretations designed to show suitability
and limitations of groups of soils for range,
for forest trees, or for engineering
purposes.
In the capability system, the kinds of
soils are grouped at three levels: capability
class, subclass, and unit. These are
discussed in the following paragraphs.
CAPABILITY CLASSES, the broadest
groups, are designated by Roman
numerals I through VIII. The numerals
indicate progressively greater limitations
and narrower choices for practical use,
defined as follows:
Class I soils have few limitations that
restrict their use. (None in the county.)
Class II soils have moderate limitations
that reduce the choice of plants or require
moderate conservation practices.
Class III soils have severe limitations
that reduce the choice of plants, require
special conservation practices, or both.
Class IV soils have very severe
limitations that reduce the choice of plants,
require very careful management, or both.
Class V soils are not likely to erode but
have other limitations, impractical to
remove, that limit their use.
Class VI soils have severe limitations
that make them generally unsuitable for
cultivation.
Class VII soils have very severe
limitations that make them unsuitable for
cultivation.
Class VIII soils and landforms havelimitations that nearly preclude their use
for commercial plants. (None in the
county.)
CAPABILITY SUBCLASSES are soil
groups within one class; they are
designated by adding a small letter, e, w,
s, or c, to the class numeral, for example,
lie. The letter e indicates that the main
limitation is risk of erosion unless close-
growing plant cover is maintained; w
indicates that water in or on the soil
interferes with plant growth or cultivation
(in some soils, wetness can be partly
corrected by artificial drainage); s
indicates that the soil is limited mainly
because it is shallow, droughty, or stony;
and c, used in only some parts of the
United States, indicates that the chief
limitation is climate that is too cold or too
dry.
In class I there are no subclasses,
because the soils of this class have few
limitations. Class V contains only the
subclasses indicated by w, s, or c
because the soils in class V are subject to
little or no erosion, though they have
other limitations that restrict their use to
pasture, range, woodland, wildlife habitat,
or recreation.
CAPABILITY UNITS are soil groups
within the subclasses. The soils in one
capability unit are enough alike to be
suited to the same crops and pasture
plants, to require similar management
and to have similar productivity and other
responses to management. Thus, the
capability unit is a convenient grouping
for making many statements about
management of soils. Capability units are
generally designated by adding an Arabic
numeral to the subclass symbol, for
example lie-1 or IllIw-2. Thus, in one
symbol, the Roman numeral designates
the capability class or degree of limitation;
the small letter indicates the subclass or
kind of limitation, as defined in the
foregoing paragraph; and the Arabic
numeral specifically identifies the
capability unit within each subclass.
In the following pages the capability
units in Harris County are described and
suggestions for use and management are
given.36
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General Soil Map, Harris County, Texas (Map)
Map displays soil types along with creeks, towns, schools, churches, power transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, roads, and railroads. Includes legend and symbols. Scale 1:316,800.
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Wheeler, Frankie F.; Crout, Jack D.; Ratliff, Larry F.; Hatherly, Don T.; Deshotels, Jesse D.; Wagner, John D. et al. Soil Survey of Harris County, Texas, book, 1976; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth130219/m1/44/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.