Soil survey, Kaufman County, Texas Page: 50 of 80
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48 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
banded yellow and reddish-yellow noncalcareous stratified fine sandy
loam, which underlies the soil at a depth ranging from 30 to 36 inches
below the surface. In most places the substrata are somewhat glauconitic.
In areas that have been cultivated formerly the upper two
layers have been mixed, the topmost 4
or 6-inch layer is grayishbrown,
and considerable surface soil has been lost through erosion
in places.
This soil is developed only on narrow slopes adjacent to small streams
in the eastern part of the county. Surface drainage is rapid and
excessive, underdrainage is free, and soil erosion is severe in cultivated
fields. The surface slope ranges from about 4 to 10 percent and exceeds
7 percent in most of the area of this soil. The largest bodies
are in the vicinity of Hiram in the east-central part of the county.
Ruston fine sandy loam is strongly rolling; otherwise the soil has
physical characteristics favorable for plant growth. The natural content
of organic matter and available plant nutrients in this soil are
low, and its productivity is likewise low, except when first cropped
or where fertilized. Where the control of erosion is feasible, it is an
excellent soil for special fruit and garden crops, and with fertilization
and the addition of organic matter it also produces good yields of the
common crops, cotton and corn. On account of excessive slopes, however,
most of this soil is best suited to pasture. Only about one-tenth
of the land is in cultivation, and most of the area consists of eroded
old fields used for pasture. A small proportion is uncleared woodland.
Slightly over one-half of the cultivated acreage is devoted to
cotton, about one-fourth to corn, and most of the rest to sorgo, Sudan
grass, cowpeas, sweetpotatoes, peanuts, and special fruit and truck
crops. The productivity varies widely with management and the
length of time in cultivation. The average yields of crops are low,
and about 100 pounds of cotton lint and 10 bushels of corn to the acre
are obtained. New land yields at least one-third bale of cotton to the
acre. Well-sodded Bermuda grass pastures have a carrying capacity of
one cow to 5 acres for the duration of the growing season. Although
trees are native, they are of slow growth and of poor quality for lumber;
therefore reforestation for commercial production of lumber is
not advocated on this land.
Leaf fine sandy loam, slope phase.-This soil is sloping forested
sandy land with a reddish-brown subsoil of rather heavy clay. It
occurs on slopes (escarpments of high stream terraces) adjacent to
high flats in the southwestern part of the county.
In cultivated areas the 6
to 10-inch surface layer of Leaf fine sandy
loam, slope phase, is light-brown acid fine sandy loam. The subsurface
layer is pale-yellow fine sandy loam continuing to a depth of 12 or 14
inches. This material grades into an upper subsoil layer, about 6
inches thick, of yellowish-red strongly acid moderately heavy clay,
which, in turn, passes into a lower subsoil layer of mottled gray
and red or yellow noncalcareous rather dense clay. At a depth ranging
from 24 to 50 inches is the parent material that consists of unconsolidated
beds of gray or grayish-yellow sandy clays. In places, beds
of sand and gravel occur beneath the parent material at a depth of
several feet below the surface.
This soil occurs only in narrow belts of rolling country, which
are terrace escarpments, in the southwestern part of the county.
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Soil map, Kaufman County, Texas (Map)
Map displays soil types, creeks, lakes, towns, churches, schools, roads, railroads, and Texas Land Office survey lines. Includes legend and symbols. A polyconic projection, North American Datum. "Horizontal control by Texas State Reclamation Department. 10000 foot grid based upon Texas (North central) system of plane coordinates."
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Templin, E. H. (Edward Henry) & Huckabee, J.W. (John Walter). Soil survey, Kaufman County, Texas, book, June 1940; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth19775/m1/50/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.