42 FIELD OPERATIOlSrS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1919. 



On account of its incoherent structure and the danger of drifting 

 when the protective covering of grasses is destroyed the tjj'pe is not 

 used for crop production. The native vegetation consists of a heavy 

 growth of stipa, grama grass, and sand grasses. Hay is the most 

 important crop. Yields of one-half to three-fourths ton per acre 

 are common. The type will carry from 40 to 50 head of cattle per 

 square mile throughout the year and about 90 head when pastured 

 only during the winter or summer. It is the common practice to 

 graze cattle on the hard land during the summer months and to use 

 this type for winter range. The stipa and sand grasses have longer 

 stems and are more accessible during snowy weather. 



The price of the Valentine loamy fine sand ranges from $15 to $20 

 an acre. 



It is possible by careful management to use parts of this type for 

 cultivated crops. In other counties of western Nebraska it has been 

 found to be well adapted to the White Eureka and Cobbler potatoes. 

 By planting the crop in lister furrows the surface of the soil can 

 be kept sufficiently rough to minimize the damage from drifting. 



VAXENTINE VEKY FINE SANDY LOAM. 



The surface soil of the Valentine very fine sandy loam is a brown to 

 dark grayish-brown, loose, friable, very fine sandy loam, 8 to 10 inches 

 deep. It generally contains a relatively high proportion of silt. 

 The organic content of the surface 6 inches is comparatively high, 

 giving that part of the soil a darker color than the deeper layers. 



The subsoil gradually becomes lighter in color and more sandy 

 with depth and grades at about 30 inches into a light grayish brown 

 very fine sandy loam to very fine sand. In a few places the lower 

 subsoil contains a larger proportion of the coarser grades of sand 

 than the soil or upper subsoil. The content of organic matter de- 

 creases with depth, and below 24 inches there is little present. Both 

 soil and subsoil are noncalareous. 



The origin of the type is not definitely understood. It was origi- 

 nally released from Tertiary material and has been transported, 

 weathered, and reassorted in much the same manner as the Valen- 

 tine loamy fine sand. 



The Valentine very fine sandy loam is one of the least extensive 

 soils in the county; it occurs in but three small bodies. The largest 

 one is in sections 21 and 22, T. 20 N., R. 58 W. Another is in section 

 19, T. 20 N., R. 55 W., and the third in section 36, T. 20 N., R. 53 W. 



The topography is similar to that of the Valentine loamy fine sand. 

 Surface drainage, however, is somewhat better established. The 

 type has ample underdrainage, owing to the loose, porous nature of 

 the soil and subsoil. 



