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SOIL SURVEY OF LUBBOCK COUNTY, TEXAS. 26 clay loam; and on the level land in the numerous lake basins and shallow depressions which dot the plain. There is only a very light run-off, but the land is rarely too wet for successful cultivation. The Richfield clay loam is an extensive soil, but only a very small percentage of it is under cultivation. The soil in its virgin condition supports a thick growth of the more nutritious pasture grasses of the region, such as grama and buffalo grass, and large areas are entirely free from the coarser vegetation which characterizes the lighter textured soils. The pasturage value is probably higher than that of uny other type. This soil is productive when properly handled. Sorghums, corn, and cotton are the principal crops. Wheat is better adapted to this soil than to the sandy types, and yields of 10 to 20 bushels per acre have been obtained. Milo yields about 40 bushels per acre, kafir 25 to 30 bushels, and cotton one-third to one-half bale. The yields in years of favorable rainfall appear to be higher than on the sandy soils, but somewhat lower in very dry seasons. This type is locally known as "black tight land." The virgin soil is compact and difficult to plow, but becomes more tractable with cultivation. Where tillage is neglected the top soil becomes hard and puddles after rains. Deep plowing and frequent shallow cultivation to conserve moisture are probably more essential than on the sandy soils. This type has about the same land value at present as the other extensive soils of the county, namely, $20 to $30 an acre for unimproved and $30 to $40 an acre for improved land. BRACKETT GRAVELLY LOAM. The soil of the Brackett gravelly loam consists of a light-brown or brown loam to fine sandy loam, underlain at shallow depths-1 to 6 inches-by lighter brown or grayish to pale-yellow calcareous loam to silty clay loam. This passes into whitish, impure limestone or indurated marl at 5 to 24 inches. A small percentage of angular fragments of limestone are distributed through the soil, giving it an open structure. This soil is very similar to the Richfield soils in color and is derived from the same rock, but it lacks the heavy subsoil layer which is characteristic of the Richfield series. The soil is not altogether uniform in texture, and there are minor color variations. A considerable part of the type as mapped is a gravelly fine sandy loam rather than a loam, and small spots of Richfield loam are included. In places the soil material is uniform in color and texture to the bedrock, with a sharp plane of separation between the two. Along the brink of the Yellowhouse Creek Canyon and in the more eroded spots the soil is grayish or white in color.
Veatch, J. O. (Jethro Otto) & Lewis, H. G. (Henry Guy).Soil survey of Lubbock County, Texas,
book,
1920;
Washington D.C..
(https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth19771/m1/29/:
accessed May 5, 2024),
University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu;
crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.