Soil Survey of Dallas County, Texas Page: 71
vii, 153 p., 70 fold. p. of plates : ill., maps ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
DALLAS COUNTY, TEXAS
Firm.-When moist, crushes under moderate pres-
sure between thumb and forefinger, but resistance is
distinctly noticeable.
Plastic.-When wet, readily deformed by moderate
pressure but can be pressed into a lump; will form a
"wire" when rolled between thumb and forefinger.
Sticky-When wet, adheres to other material and
tends to stretch somewhat and pull apart rather than
to pull free from other material.
Hard.-When dry, moderately resistant to pressure;
can be broken with difficulty between thumb and
forefinger.
Soft.-When dry, breaks into powder or individual
grains under very slight pressure.
Cemented-Hard; little affected by moistening.
Contour stripcropping (or contour farming). Growing
crops in strips that follow the contour. Strips of
grass or close-growing crops are alternated with
strips of clean-tilled crops or summer fallow.
Control section. The part of the soil on which classifica-
tion is based. The thickness varies among different
kinds of soil, but for many it is that part of the soil
profile between depths of 10 inches and 40 or 80
inches.
Corrosive. High risk of corrosion to uncoated steel or
deterioration of concrete.
Cover crop. A close-growing crop grown primarily to
improve and protect the soil between periods of
regular crop production, or a crop grown between
trees and vines in orchards and vineyards.
Cutbanks cave (in tables). The walls of excavations
tend to cave in or slough.
Decreasers. The most heavily grazed climax range
plants. Because they are the most palatable, they
are the first to be destroyed by overgrazing.
Deferred grazing. Postponing grazing or arresting graz-
ing for a prescribed period.
Depth to rock. Bedrock is too near the surface for the
specified use.
Diversion (or diversion terrace). A ridge of earth, gen-
erally a terrace, built to protect downslope areas by
diverting runoff from its natural course.
Drainage class (natural). Refers to the frequency and
duration of periods of saturation or partial saturation
during soil formation, as opposed to altered drain-
age, which is commonly the result of artificial drain-
age or irrigation but may be caused by the sudden
deepening of channels or the blocking of drainage
outlets. Seven classes of natural soil drainage are
recognized:
Excessively drained.-Water is removed from the
soil very rapidly. Excessively drained soils are com-
monly very coarse textured, rocky, or shallow. Some
are steep. All are free of the mottling related to
wetness.
Somewhat excessively drained.-Water is removed
from the soil rapidly. Many somewhat excessively
drained soils are sandy and rapidly pervious. Someare shallow. Some are so steep that much of the
water they receive is lost as runoff. All are free of
the mottling related to wetness.
Well drained-Water is removed from the soil readi-
ly, but not rapidly. It is available to plants throughout
most of the growing season, and wetness does not
inhibit growth of roots for significant periods during
most growing seasons. Well drained soils are com-
monly medium textured. They are mainly free of
mottling.
Moderately well drained-Water is removed from
the soil somewhat slowly during some periods. Mod-
erately well drained soils are wet for only a short
time during the growing season, but periodically they
are wet long enough that most mesophytic crops
are affected. They commonly have a slowly pervious
layer within or directly below the solum, or periodi-
cally receive high rainfall, or both.
Somewhat poorly drained-Water is removed slowly
enough that the soil is wet for significant periods
during the growing season. Wetness markedly re-
stricts the growth of mesophytic crops unless artifi-
cial drainage is provided. Somewhat poorly drained
soils commonly have a slowly pervious layer, a high
water table, additional water from seepage, nearly
continuous rainfall, or a combination of these.
Poorly drained.-Water is removed so slowly that
the soil is saturated periodically during the growing
season or remains wet for long periods. Free water
is commonly at or near the surface for long enough
during the growing season that most mesophytic
crops cannot be grown unless the soil is artificially
drained. The soil is not continuously saturated in
layers directly below plow depth. Poor drainage re-
sults from a high water table, a slowly pervious layer
within the profile, seepage, nearly continuous rain-
fall, or a combination of these.
Very poorly drained -Water is removed from the
soil so slowly that free water remains at or on the
surface during most of the growing season. Unless
the soil is artificially drained, most mesophytic crops
cannot be grown. Very poorly drained soils are com-
monly level or depressed and are frequently
ponded. Yet, where rainfall is high and nearly con-
tinuous, they can have moderate or high slope gradi-
ents.
Drainage, surface. Runoff, or surface flow of water,
from an area.
Erosion. The wearing away of the land surface by water,
wind, ice, or other geologic agents and by such
processes as gravitational creep.
Erosion (geologic). Erosion caused by geologic proc-
esses acting over long geologic periods and result-
ing in the wearing away of mountains and the build-
ing up of such landscape features as flood plains
and coastal plains. Synonym: natural erosion.
Erosion (accelerated). Erosion much more rapid
than geologic erosion, mainly as a result of the ac-71
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Related Items
Other items on this site that are directly related to the current book.
General Soil Map, Dallas 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 1:253,400
Relationship to this item: (Has Part)
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Coffee, Daniel R. Soil Survey of Dallas County, Texas, book, 1980; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth130211/m1/81/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.