SOIL SURVEY OF BANNER COUNTY, NEBRASKA. 47 



mocks. Drainage is good and as a result of the loose porous soil 

 and subsoil in many places excessive. Very few of the smaller drain- 

 age ways are continuous, but the water sinks into the sand and passes 

 underground to the main stream. 



Although the type is extensively developed in Banner County, 

 little or none of it is under cultivation on account of its loose, inco- 

 herent structure and the tendency to drift badly when the protective 

 covering of sod is removed. The native A'egetation consists of stipa, 

 sand grass, and small amounts of grama grass, and blackroot. The 

 soil is all included in large ranches and stock farms, on which the 

 raising of beef cattle, principally grade Hereford and Shorthorn is 

 the principal industry. A small herd of horses is kept on nearly 

 every ranch. The type will support from 35 to 40 head of stock per 

 square mile the year round. The soil is preferred by many ranchers 

 for winter grazing, as the long stemmed stipa and sand grass is more 

 accessible when snow covers the ground than the short-stemmed 

 grasses of the hard lands. 



The Bridgeport loamj^ fine sand ranges in selling price from $15 

 to $25 an acre. 



It is doubtful if this type should be used for cultivated crops on 

 account of its tendency to drift when disturbed. 



BRIDGEPORT SANDY LOAM. 



The Bridgeport sandy loam is a light-brown to grayish-brown 

 sandy loam, 6 to 12 inches deep, and loose and incoherent in struc- 

 ture. In most places pebbles are scattered through the surface ma- 

 terial. The depth and color of the soil varies with its topographic 

 position. It is deeper and darker on the more level areas, lying at a 

 considerable distance from bodies of Rough broken land. 



The subsoil consists of a light-brown to light grayish brown, in- 

 coherent, sandy loam to sand, which becomes gradually lighter in 

 color with depth. Small gravel, is often encountered below 30 inches. 

 The soil and subsoil are deficient in organic matter. The latter is 

 faintly calcareous. 



The type is of small extent. It occurs chiefly in the southeastern 

 part of the county, and represents colluvial and alluvial material 

 washed from the uplands. One of the largest bodies lies on the east 

 side of Bighorn Gulch. A smaller area occurs on the south side of 

 Lawrence Fork, near the eastern county line. 



The areas consist of gradual to fairly steep slopes, having a flat to 

 gently undulating surface. The slopes are steepest along the borders 

 farthest from stream channels. The drainage is generally exces- 

 sive, owing to the porous nature of the subsoil. It is difficult to trace 

 drainage channels across the type, as much of the surface water sinks 

 into the sand. 



