Soil survey, Kaufman County, Texas Page: 25 of 80
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SOIL SURVEY OF KAUFMAN COUNTY, TEXAS 23
of oats, 15 to 25 bushels of grain sorghums, and 2 to 3 tons of sorgo
forage.
Irving clay.-This soil has essentially the same appearance and
utility as nearly level areas of Wilson clay, from which it differs
mainly in being underlain by parent materials laid down by freshwater
streams. It is commonly known as blackland but is recognized
as being tighter, somewhat grayer, and slightly less productive
than the deep heavy calcareous blackland soils. Local farmers consider
it highly productive but somewhat difficult to work.
The 4-inch tilled surface soil in fields is dark-gray acid crusty clay
or light clay. This rests on very dark gray acid dense very heavy
clay, which becomes less acid with depth and grades into dark-gray
noncalcareous very tough and compact clay at a depth ranging from
24 to 45 inches. The dark-gray clay continues to a depth of about
5 feet where it grades into gray very compact nearly impervious clay.
The material below a depth of about 4 feet is either slightly calcareous
or a noncalcareous mass containing a few soft white concretions
of carbonate of lime. It is slightly mottled with dull yellow
and contains some friable black lumps, which are probably iron
oxide.
This soil has the same structure as Wilson clay. It is friable only
within a very narrow range of moisture content and dries to a very
hard mass unless cultivated before becoming too dry or if worked
when too wet.
Irving clay occupies several medium-sized areas on flat high old
stream terraces in the southwestern part of the county. The largest
are between Crandall and Rosser and in Crawfish Prairie, Long
Prairie, and Bakers Prairie. These prairies are areas of Irving soils
surrounded by sandy forested soils of the Leaf series. The more
typical areas are flat and practically level. Drainage is very slow,
and surface water may stand for short periods. The native vegetation
is grass.
About 80 acres in the eastern part of the area 3 miles southeast of
Crandall, the body of about 160 acres in the Flinn survey 3 miles
northeast of Rosser, and the area of about 300 acres 1.6 miles east of
Rosser are much like Myatt clay. In these areas the 2
to 4-inch
surface soil is dark-gray strongly acid heavy clay. It grades into
pale-gray strongly acid extremely compact heavy clay having a faint
tinge of yellow and a few spots of rusty brown. The pale-gray clay
continues to a depth of about 4 feet where it grades into gray slightly
calcareous clay containing concretions of calcium carbonate. All
soil layers contain a number of black pellets of iron oxide. This
included soil is naturally too poorly drained for successful production
of general field crops. Where artificially drained by ditching, it appears
to be fairly productive but somewhat less so than Irving clay.
The undisturbed areas of this included soil have an uneven, or hogwallow,
surface and for the most part are covered with native grasses.
Some of the areas adjacent to sandy soils are covered with small elm
and post oak trees. About one-half of the included soil is in cultivation.
Farmers report that productivity increases for several years
after the land is placed in cultivation, and they assign the cause to
the gradual improvement of drainage conditions due to tillage.
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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/m1/25/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.