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516 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1922
The Spur loam is a valuable and desired soil and is utilized on
most farms for producing crops. It sells with the associated soils
of the Spur series for $40 to $75 an acre, depending on location and
improvements.
SPUR CLAY LOAM
The surface soil of the Spur clay loam is a chocolate-brown to very
dark chocolate brown clay loam, ranging in places to a silty clay
loam. This grades at 4 to 10 inches into a rather heavy but friable
silty clay, which extends to a depth of 36 inches or more. The color
of the subsoil varies somewhat with location; predominantly it is a
rich chocolate brown, but in places it is dark chocolate brown.
Locally the subsoil to about 18 inches is a very dark chocolate brown
to nearly black silty clay, below which it is chocolate brown. In places
the subsoil is reddish brown, while in other places the lower subsoil
is brownish red. Here and there the lower subsoil contains considerable
fine sand, making the texture a sandy clav or sandy clay loam.
All the material of the 3-foot section is characteristically strongly
calcareous.
Although baking to a hard condition during dry seasons, both
soil and subsoil break into a fine cloddy structure without difficulty.
The surface soil is sticky when wet, but under cultivation becomes
a loamy mass, which is easily maintained in a condition of excellent
tilth through any season. Even where uncultivated, the surface
dries out into a mass of very fine granules.
The Spur clay loam, while not a very extensive soil type, is an
important and valuable soil on many farms throughout the westcentral
and southwestern parts of the county. It occurs in small,
narrow areas along Duck and Dockum Creeks, and is closely associated
with the other alluvial soils of the Spur series along those
streams.
The Spur clay loam is flat and in places occupies slightly depressed
areas on the outer edge of the bottom lands adjacent to the uplands.
In some places, along Dockum Creek, however, it has a very gentle,
almost imperceptible slope streamwards, though more generally it
occupies a very shallow trough. Surface drainage is therefore poor,
but this is not a serious drawback in a region where the rainfall is
not excessive. The soil absorbs water readily and there is a good
store of underground water. In many places wells 10 to 20 feet
deep on this soil afford a good supply of excellent water.
The Spur clay loam is a very important and valuable soil type in
the county. It ranks among the highest in productiveness here and
would rank high anywhere. Probably no less than 90 per cent of
the type is in cultivation, the rest being used for pasture. The
native vegetation consists of mesquite trees and a heavy growth of
the native short grasses, mainly buffalo grass, grama grass, and some
mesquite grass.
The leading crops are cotton, grain sorghums, and sorgo. Some
farmers grow corn and some wheat and oats. Small patches of
alfalfa are grown successfully. Even in very dry seasons good
yields of these crops are made. Under favorable conditions cotton
yields one-half to 1 bale per acre, milo 30 to 60 bushels, and sorgo
4 to 8 tons per acre. Corn yields 20 to 30 bushels per acre under