BULLETIN 117, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE REGION. 



The region studied is the Utah Lake Valley in the vicinity of Provo, 

 Springville, Spanish Fork, Payson, and Lelii. (See fig. 1.) In gen- 

 eral there are two prominent physiographic features: (1) An area of 

 sloping land adjacent to the base of the mountains and usually above 

 the present systems of irrigation and (2) a larger and more nearly 

 level area farther removed from the mountains and generally under 

 irrigation. 



The first area consists chiefly of coarse material, sand, gravel, 

 stones, and bowlders, and the surface is usually rough and uneven. 

 It is derived chiefly from the adjacent mountains and has been brought 



into the valley by inflowing 

 streams and rains. These 

 higher areas are commonly 

 called bench lands. Many 

 orchards have been planted 

 on them, for the reason 

 that the location . renders 

 the fruit less liable to frost 

 injury because of better air 

 drainage (fig. 2). The soil 

 is very porous in character 

 and seemingly not as rich 

 as that at the lower levels. 

 The second area is made 

 of the finer sediments de- 

 posited by ancient Lake 

 Bonneville, and since its 

 subsidence these sediments 

 have been considerably 

 modified by inflowing 

 streams and weathering. 

 This area occupies the lower 

 levels extending down to 

 the shore of Utah Lake, which forms its western boundary. Utah 

 Lake is a shallow body of fresh water having an outlet through 

 the Jordan River into the Great Salt Lake. Much of this lower 

 type of land is used only for pasture, the water table being within 

 a few feet of the surface. Where saturated for any great length of 

 time, the alkaline conditions become so bad that cultivated crops 

 are no longer possible. Sugar beets constitute the important crop 

 on these lower and heavier soils. 



SOILS OF THE REGION. 



Throughout the entire region more or less alkali is found. Most of 

 this occurs on the lower levels. The higher lands are of a porous 



Fig. 1.— Sketch map of the State of Utah, showing the loca- 

 tion of the region studied near Utah Lake. 



