36 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1910. 



tentive of moisture on account of its low organic content. It is 

 nearly all used for pasture and hay land, though there are occasional 

 small fields under cultivation. The native vegetation consists largely 

 of sand grass and stipa. A small amount of buffalo grass, grama 

 grass, and blackroot are encountered on the less sandy areas. 



The grazing of live stock is the chief industry. Beef cattle are 

 raised most extensively. Grade Herefords and Shorthorns are the 

 principal breeds. From 8 to 30 head of horses are kept on most 

 farms. On the cultivated land corn is the chief crop, though some 

 small grain is grown. The soil is not adapted to the latter, however, 

 on account of its loose structure. 



Average yields of about 12 bushels of corn per acre are obtained. 

 In exceptional years 20 to 25 bushels per acre have been raised. 

 Native hay yields one-fourth to one-half ton per acre. The type will 

 support from 30 to 40 head of cattle throughout the year. The stock 

 is generally shipped v>^hen 2 or 3 years old, to eastern markets, as 

 feeders. 



The selling price of the Epping fine sandy loam ranges from $15 

 to $20 an acre. 



EPPING VERY FIKE SANDY LOAM. 



The surface soil of the Epping very fine sandy loam is a gray to 

 grayish-brown, loose, friable very fine sandy loam, containing a 

 relatively large percentage of silt. The depth of the soil varies with 

 the topographic position. On the more level lying areas where con- 

 ditions have favored undisturbed weathering and the accumulation 

 of organic matter, it is 8 to 10 inches. Over most of the type, how- 

 ever, the average depth is about 6 inches. 



The upper subsoil is a gray very fine sandy loam. This changes 

 gradually into a light-gray silt loam to silty clay, which at about 24 

 inches becomes a white or pinkish-white, loose floury material re- 

 sembling the lower subsoil of the Rosebud silt loam. Both the soil 

 and subsoil are deficient in organic matter. The surface material is 

 slightly and the subsoil highly calcareous. 



The type is derived by weathering from the underlying Brule 

 formation, which lies in most places from 3 to 5 feet below the sur- 

 face and occasionally outcrops, giving the fields a spotted appearance. 

 The very fine sand, of which the surface soil is so largelj'^ composed, 

 probably represents material blown from the upland and from the 

 more sandy types in the Pumpkin Creek Valley. 



The Epping very fine sandy loam is the most extensive valley land 

 soil in the area. It occurs in large, irregular shaped bodies on both 

 sides of Pumpkin Creek. The largest development is on the south 

 side of the stream. The areas vary in size from a few acres to many 

 square miles. They are not as a rule uniform throughout, but are 



