56 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1910. 



sections at the great bends thai the river sweeps across the areas of 

 this soil ^Yith a force sufficient to damage the surface by erosion. 

 The internal drainage of the soil is free, and when protected from 

 floods and irrigated moisture conditions should be satisfactory. 



At the time when the first w^hite settlers occupied this section of 

 (he valley the areas of this type were rather heavily wooded. The 

 valley oak, with a vigorous undergrowth, i)red()niinated in the better 

 drained parts slightly removed from the river. The areas subject 

 to continued flooding supported a tangled growth approaching the 

 tropical jungle in density. Portions of the type now cleared for 

 agricultural use are still dotted with individual valley oaks of great 

 size and nmrked by strips of brush and woods along the principal 

 overflow channels or lateral stream ways meandering toward the 

 Sacramento. There are large sections, however, wdiich retain the 

 tangled growth of vegetation — chiefly oak, cottonwood, sj^camore, 

 willow, and wild grape. These are the parts never cleared, because 

 of flood conditions, or perhaps abandoned even after clearing, on 

 account of changes in the overfloAV channels. The uncleared area 

 still forms a considerable percentage of the total area of the type. 

 From present indications the cleared area Avill not soon be extended. 

 Without the existing vegetation much erosion would result, and it 

 is better to allow the land to remain as it is until the river is brought 

 under control. 



The type owes its origin entirely to the activities of the Sacra- 

 mento Iviver, being the liner alluvium deposited in very quiet water 

 by the floods in that stream. The material of which it is composed 

 has been gathered from the varied rocks of the ui)per Sacramento 

 watershed. The thorough intermingling of particles during trans- 

 l)ortation gives the type its uniformity in this and (he other areas of 

 the Sacramento Valle3\ 



The agricultural development of this type occupied the attention 

 of the pioneer farmers of the area. It w^as slowly cleared at consid- 

 erable expense and became one of the important grain soils, yielding 

 heavy crops of wheat and barley. Such uncultivated portions as re- 

 luiiiu conduuc (o be used as pasture land or are the source of firewood 

 and fence ])0;its. The greater part of the type is still used for dry- 

 farmed grain and without such nuu'kt'd decreases in yields as accom- 

 panied the contimied cropi)ing of (he upland soils. It is one of the 

 best iri'ain soils of the area and ])ro(i(able yields of these crops can be 

 ('Xi)ec(ed for many years, aUhough the na(ural adaptation of the type 

 indicates i(s use for other crops when it is protected from floods. 

 During r('ceii( years it has been found j^rofitable to grow alfalfa upon 

 this type withou( irrigation, three (^^(ings being usually secured, the 

 yield aggregating about 5 tons to the acre. Near Alfalfa the broad 

 area of (his (ype is largely devoted to dry-farmed alfalfa, but the 



