Cass County, Missouri - Chapter 11: Soils, 1917

DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTER - AREAS OF DIFFERENT SOILS OF THE COUNTY - ANALYSIS OF SOILS - EFFECT OF EROSION - SUMMIT SILT LOAM MOST IM¬ PORTANT-TREATMENT OF SOIL - TILE DRAINAGE - SOIL MATERIALFRIABLE SUBSOIL - CRAWFORD SILT LOAM - OSWEGO SILT LOAM - BATES LOAM - OSAGE SILT LOAM - OSAGE CLAY.

We quote largely from the report made to the general government of the United States by the officials of the "Bureau of Soils," issued in 1914. The report says, "Cass County is within the west Missouri residual plains region. The upland soils are the direct product of the weathering of the local rocks, and therefore their distribution and character are determined by the situation of these underlying rocks. The rocks con¬ sist of interbedded strata of limestone, shale and sandstone, of the Penn¬ sylvania division of the carboniferous, and dip slightly to the north and west, outcrops at the surface, are in zones having a northeast and north¬ west trend.

Upland soils are crawford soils, characterized by red colored sub¬ soil, and are derived primarily from limestone ; summit soils characterized by black colored material, derived from shale and limestone; bates soils represent the decomposition products of shale and sandstone. The alluvial soils are all derived from the upland soils washed from higher ground.

The analysis of the soils by the general government would be instruc¬ tive and they are: The summit silt loam is the most important soil type in the county, comprising more than 50 per cent, of the total area. In its typical development it consists of a very dark gray or black, mellow silt loam to a depth of 12 or 15 inches, underlain by a black, crumbly silty clay loam, which at about 18 to 20 inches grades into a dark drab to black clay of a plastic, waxy, sticky character. Below, about 30 inches, the subsoil is usually mottled with yellowish brown, greenish yellow, or lighter shades of brown.

The graduation from the soil into the subsurface section is almost imperceptible, but the change from the subsurface soil to the heavy clay subsoil is rather sudden. In places the subsoil is dark brown in the upper portion and lighter brown or yellowish brown below, while in other loca¬ tions the color of the subsoil is nearly black to a depth of three feet, the latter condition being confined usually to the poorer drained and lower situations, while the former condition is encountered generally on the better drained acres.

The boundary between the variations based on these differences is in general marked by the escarpment representing the eastern edge of the intermediate platform or topographic division extending in a general way from the northeastern to the southwestern corner of the county. The type as found on the intermediate platform has a black or very dark gray clay subsoil. In the southeastern half of the county the type has a lighter colored subsurface soil, and a clay subsoil which is yellowish or greenish, tinged with gray. Iron concretions are occasionally found in both soil and subsoil, while fragments of chert frequently occur in exposures of the substratum, which is nearly always a yellow or grayish-yellow, heavy, plastic clay.

A peculiar characteristic of this soil is that it does not puddle readily. Wherever the subsoil is exposed, as in stream cuts or along roads, it has a granular structure, and breaks up into cubical soil aggregates or granules. The result of this structure is that the soil does not easily run together, bake or crack. On account of the heavy subsoil, the type is not very drought resistant. To eliminate this disadvantage as much as possible, frequent shallow cultivation is necessary, especially during the last summer months.

The summit silt loam occupies nearly flat to undulating and gently rolling country, the average topography being considered more uneven than that of the Oswego silt loam, which this type closely resembles in color, texture and structure. The surface drainage is good. The streams and draws flow through shallow valleys, and the level of the plain is rarely more than 20 or 40 feet above the valley bottom. The entire extent of the type therefore is available for easy cultivation. The depth of the soil mantle is great, frequently fifty or sixty feet, and it is only on a few of the steeper slopes along the larger streams that shale or limestone outcrops at the surface.

Although occurring at varying altitudes, the type in general is char¬ acterized by great uniformity in texture, color and structure. There are, however, several minor variations from the typical soil. In the eastern and southeastern parts of the county, particularly around East Lynne and Creighton, and along the southern border of the county near Archie, there are poorly drained areas where the soil is notably lighter in color, owing to a lack or a peculiar condition of organic matter. These areas are con¬ sidered of inferior agricultural value as compared with the darker land, but the difference in crop value and in physical properties is too slight to justify a separation of this phase. It is locally known as "ashy land," but compared with the ashy land in Bates and other counties to the south it does not deserve such a term.

Near some of the streams where erosion has been active the color of the soil is considerably lighter than that of the typical soil, being a gray¬ ish brown or brown, and the underlying rock comes nearer the surface. There is an extensive area of this phase east of Everett along the Grand River and around Austin. Here the soil is a brown silt loam, underlain at about ten inches by light-brown silt loam, and at fourteen inches by a mottled brownish and gray silty clay loam, which at about twenty to twenty-four inches passes into a tough, plastic, heavy clay or a dark-brown or dark yellowish brown color in the upper part and mottled with grayish and yellowish brown in the lower section. Shale fragments are frequently encountered in the soil and subsoil. The agricultural value of this gently rolling phase is only slightly inferior to that of the typical soil.

On some of the slopes where erosion has removed the surface soil and exposed the subsoil, the surface material frequently consists of a black or dark-gray silty clay or clay loam, underlain at about ten inches by a dark, heavy, plastic clay. These areas were not mapped separately on account of their small size and irregular distribution. They have their most extensive development northeast of Harrisonville, and mark the east¬ ern slope of the central escarpment where this escarpment consists of Summit silt loam. Limestone fragments are usually scattered through the soil of this phase. It is best adapted to grass and small grains. The soil is not very drought resistant and needs large applications of manure to insure good yields.

The soil material of the summit silt loam is derived mainly from shale and to a small extent from thinly bedded limestone. In places material from sandstone enters into the composition of the type. Locally this type is known as "black land" or "black limestone land," implying that it is derived from lii»e*tone, although only a small material is impor¬ tant in that it assists in giving the soil mellower texture and in making it more productive. The character of the material would indicate that lime¬ stone enters more largely into the formation of the soil as developed on the intermediate platform than it does in the lower southeastern divi¬ sion of the county. It is probable that for this reason the soil in the former section is considered somewhat better than that of the latter, but there are no data to substantiate this belief.

Almost all of the type was originally prairie, and when first broken the soil contained a large amount of organic matter. At present a few of the hilly areas along the streams support a growth of young oak, hickory and persimmon.

The summit silt loam is not only the most important soil type in Cass County, but in all west-central Missouri. It is prized on account of its high productivity and desirable physical and topographic features. Nearly all of the type is in a high state of cultivation and is used for the production of corn, wheat, grass and oats, which crops rank in importance in the order named. Yields range as follows: Corn, 30 to 75 bushels; wheat, 15 to 35 bushels; oats, 20 to 50 bushels; and grass.

1 to 2!/2 tons per acre, the higher figures being approached more fre¬ quently than the lower. As a grass and small-grain soil the summit silt loam is especially desirable. Tobacco is grown on a commercial scale and with good results. Yields range from 1,000 to 1,600 pounds per acre. Alfalfa is not grown on the type, and on account of the heavy subsoil will not thrive unless good drainage and an abundance of plant food are provided.

Commercial fertilizers are not used, but applications of phosphatic materials would probably prove profitable. Applications of ground lime¬ stone would be beneficial in the poorer drained acres. In the manage¬ ment of this type, the most important factor is the maintenance of the organic matter supply. Whenever this constituent is lacking the nitro¬ gen supply is deficient and the soil more apt to puddle, which condition is unfavorable to the best physical and chemical conditions and biologic processesu This will be especially true if cropping has reduced the amount of organic matter below that necessary to maintain good tilth. Every practical means should be used to maintain the supply of organic matter. Clover or cowpeas should be grown on the land every three or four years, and the bulk of the crop turned under, either directly or after removing the seed or after feeding and bringing back all the manure. All of the straw should be returned to the land and plowed under, if not used as bedding or feed, and stalks should be chopped up and turned under, as well as weeds and trash. In this way only can the present fair supply of organic matter and its accompanying nitrogene be maintained in the soil. Such deep-rooting crops as red and mammoth clover will also tend to make the compact subsoil more porous.

The value of tile drainage has not yet been ascertained, but it is probable that it would prove profitable, especially on flat uplands and at the head of shallow draws. Where this soil is not well drained alsike will grow better than red clover. Pasturing is one of the best uses of this land. Alsike and white clover should be included in the mixture of grass seed.

The friable subsoil phase of the summit silt loam was mapped in large areas in the northwestern part of the county. It consists of a mellow, dark-brown to black silt loam, underlain at about fifteen inches by dark-brown or yellowish-brown, moderately friable or crumbly heavy silt loam to silty clay, which grades at about twenty to twenty-four inches into yellowish-brown, crumbly clay or silty clay, which is generally heavier and mottled yellowish red, yellow, brown, and gray in the lower portion. In the smoother areas of this phase the subsoil is slightly darker and heavier than in the rolling areas. In general, the subsoil of the phase averages considerably lighter in color, being a more yellowish brown, and less plastic than the typical summit silt loam. The friable subsoil phase has a mellower soil than the main type with a very faint brownish color in many areas and for the most part it occupies a higher topographic and geologic position. The greater part of the northwest platform is occupied by this phase. Its topography is smooth to gently rolling, and practically the entire extent of it is in a high state of cultivation.

The soil material of this phase is derived chiefly from limestone and shale, the former probably entering into the formation more largely than the latter. Limestone outcrops are more numerous than in the typical soil. The presence of a larger amount of limestone material gives the soil a loamy structure and a reddish or brownish color.

The friable subsoil phase, or "mulatto soil," as it is called locally, is recognized as the best soil in the county. It is more easily kept in good condition of tilth, crops are less likely to suffer from the effects of drought, and it seems to be somewhat more productive than the typical soil. In the spring and after heavy rains the phase can be culti¬ vated from one to three days earlier than the typical summit silt loam. These advantages, however, are frequently counteracted by the greater washing to which the soil is subject.

Practically all of the phase was originally prairie. It is used for the production of all the staple crops common to the region and large yields are obtained. Clover and alfalfa do especially well. For fruits and certain vegetables it is unexcelled by any other soil in the county. The adoption of a rotation to include clover or alfalfa every three years is of primary importance in the management of this soil. Some crops such as cowpeas, Canada field peas, alfalfa, or clover should be turned under occasionally in order to maintain the supply of organic matter. Listing is practiced with success, but is not recommended, especially on those areas subject to erosion. Very little, if any, of this land can be bought for less than $100 an acre. Narrow bodies of Crawford silt loam, confined to the lower slopes near drainage ways and too small to map separately, were included with this phase.

streams, the sides of ridges, and isolated hillocks. In these areas thinbedded limestone outcrops and fragments of the stone are scattered over the surface. The soil material is generally a yellowish, yellowishbrown, or grayish silt loam or silty clay loam to clay grading at about six or eight inches into a yellowish-brown or gray, plastic, sticky, heavy clay. At lower depths a light-yellow, plastic clay is encountered. The material is rarely over a few feet in depth, and is underlain by partially decomposed bedrock. The soil is residual from shale and limestone.

The steep slopes and the stone fragments practically preclude culti¬ vation of these areas. The soil material, on account of its heavy texture, is not drought resistant. The type is used almost exclusively for pasture, although a few acres are covered with a scrubby growth of oak, hickory and elm. It is probable that the better areas could be used for orchards. Both grass and clover do fairly well, and in general the best use of this stony land is for pasture.

The Crawford silt loam is locally known as "red land" on account of the characteristic red color of the soil or subsoil. Typically the soil consists of a dark-brown to reddish-brown or brown mellow silt loam which grades at about twelve to fifteen inches into a lighter colored crumbly silty clay loam. This is underlain at about eighteen to twenty inches by chocolate-red or reddish-brown to red, rather stiff, brittle clay. In places the soil ranges to nearly black. The color of the soil material depends largely on the activity of erosion and proximity to limestone outcrops. Where erosion has removed the soil leaving the subsoil exposed, and where the material is recently weathered from limestone, it has a bright-red or brown color, but when mixed with organic matter it has a much darker color.

The topography of the type varies from smooth to gently rolling or undulating the smoother areas being most extensive in the northwestern part of the county. In general, the type has a more uneven surface than the Summit silt loam. It occupies slopes along drainage ways and higher undulating areas. It is usually drained by numerous small streams which have cut down to the limestone beds, or through them, and are now bordered in places by perpendicular ledges varying in height from ten to thirty-five feet. Although practically all of the type is easily cultivated, the rock ledges render tillage difficult in places, and frequently limit the size of the fields.

its widest distribution where the rock strata were thickest. As a rule the type is associated with rock outcrops, and in places bedrock is reached at depths varying from about ten inches to four feet. Erosion is destruc¬ tive in places. Most of the type was originally forested with oak, walnut, ash and locust, but practically all of it is now cleared.

The Crawford silt loam is a well-drained, good agricultural soil, well suited to the general farm crops of the region. Most farmers state that this "red land" is better than the black Summit soil, but others believe there is no difference in the agricultural value of the two types. The red soil, however, is known to be more drought resistant, more easily cultivated, and from two to eight days earlier in spring. It is an excellent corn and wheat soil, and is used almost exclusively for the production of these crops. As a tobacco, alfalfa, truck and fruit soil it is the best in the county. Com will average thirty-five to sixty bushels and wheat fifteen to twenty-five bushels per acre. Both clover and alfalfa should be grown more extensively on the type.

Next to the friable subsoil phase of the Summit silt loam the Craw¬ ford silt loam is the most highly prized by the farmers. The two soils have nearly the same value.

The soil of the Crawford stony clay loam is a dark-brown to reddishbrown clay loam or silty clay loam, underlain at variable depths, usually about six to ten inches, by rather stiff, brittle, red or reddish-brown clay, which extends to depths ranging from ten or fifteen inches to three feet. The bedrock generally consists of limestone. Fragments and out¬ crops of limestone are abundant. The soil is residual, being derived from the weathering in place of beds of limestone, and in this respect differs from the Summit stony clay loam, which is derived from both shale and limestone. Some included patches of Summit stony clay loam were not mapped separately on account of their small size.

The Crawford stony clay loam occupies steep slopes along drainage ways, frequently representing bluff lines, and some of the higher outly¬ ing elevations. The abundance of rock fragments and rock outcrops and the steep slopes render the greater part of the type unfit for culti¬ vation. It has its greatest development in the west-central part of the country, and most of it is forested. When cultivated the type produces good crops of grass and small grain. Its best use is for pastures, orchards and forests.

The soil consists of a black or dark-gray silt loam, underlaid at ten to twelve inches by a light-gray or drab, crumbly silty clay loam, which at eighteen inches passes abruptly into a tough, plastic, waxy, heavy clay of a vary dark brown, black or dark yellowish brown color. In the lower portion the color is more nearly yellow, and usually is mottled gray and yellow. On drying the soil at the surface becomes grayish, but it never assumes the decided light color of the "white ashy land," or Cherokee silt loam, which occurs to the south. The soil material is derived from shale. The type occupies low, flat areas having rather poor surface drainage. Iron concretions are abundant in the subsurface soil and subsoil of some areas.

All of the type is in cultivation. It is devoted mainly to the pro¬ duction of wheat, oats and grass, for which it is best suited. The yields are somewhat lower than on the Summit silt loam. In the management of the soil, good surface and underground drainage should be provided. With a liberal use of ground limestone, phosphatic fertilizers and legumes, the productivity can be materially improved. Clover and cowpeas should be grown every three or four years and the green crop turned under in order to supply much needed organic matter.

The Bates silt loam is one of the most variable types in the survey. In its typical development the soil consists of a grayish-brown, fairly mellow silt loam, underlain at about ten inches by a yellowish-brown, friable silt loam or silty clay loam, which at sixteen to eighteen inches overlies yellow silty clay, mottled faintly with gray or shades of yellow and brown. This becomes heavier and more plastic with increase in depth.

The type occupies ridges and ridge slopes, and relatively low, flat to undulated areas. On the ridges and slopes shale fragments are com¬ mon in the soil and bed shale is occasionally reached within the three-foot section. The relatively low, flat to undulating areas, usually adjoining streams, have a heavy, plastic subsoil which is similar to the lower sub¬ soil of the Summit silt loam.

The soil material is derived almost wholly from shale. In places thin limestone beds and some chert were noticed in association with the type, but limestone has influenced the soil only to a negligible degree. This development of the Bates silt loam is not altogether representative of the typical soil as elsewhere mapped, because of the absence of the red clover in the subsoil. In other respects the soil possesses the Bates characteristics, so that its correlation as Bates silt loam is considered advisable.

The surface drainage of the type is good, yet in places the soil is wet and soggy, owing to the accumulation of seepage waters from higher areas, the downward course of the water being obstructed by the impervious shale strata in the lower subsoil. Such areas should be improved by tile drainage.

The rougher land of the type was originally forested, but the smoother portions were prairie. A part of the bench-land phase, includ¬ ing the low areas, is characterized by its growth of post oak. The Bates silt loam is probably the poorest soil in the county. It is used most extensively for pasture land, for which use it is best suited. When cultivated, fair yields of corn and wheat are secured. The soil is low in humus, which should be supplied by methods previously described, in order to get the best results.

The Bates loam was mapped only in the southern half of the county, the greatest development consisting of small, scattered areas in the south¬ eastern corner. The typical soil consists of about twelve to fifteen inches of mellow, fine loam, brown or dark brown in color. The subsoil is a yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, friable, heavy loam to fine sandy clay loam. The lower portion varies to nearly red or red mottled with yellow. Bedrock is usually encountered at about three feet, although in places on the steeper slopes it is nearer the surface.

The soil material is derived mainly from thin beds of fine-grained sandstone, together with shale. Small sandstone fragments are scat¬ tered throughout the soil. The type occupies slopes to streams and narrowr ridges. Drainage is frequently excessive. The soil is best suited to corn, vegetables and clover. Lime and large quantities of organic matter should be applied to the land. Crop yields could probably be increased by the use of phosphatic fertilizers or even complete fertilizer mixtures.

The Osage silt loam is a black to dark-gray, mellow silt loam, which at about eighteen to twenty inches grades into very dark gray or drab to black, plastic silty clay. Rusty-brown mottlings are common through the soil section, while the deeper material is sometimes mottled with yellowish and gray. Adjoining the stream banks the material is usually lighter in texture, occasionally approaching a loam or fine sandy loam, but these areas were too small and irregular to be shown separately on the map. Along the smaller streams the texture is more variable than in the broader bottoms of the larger streams, ranging from silt loam to loam within small areas. The forested areas of the type are usually lighter in color than the typical soil. In general, the type is darker in color in the northern half of the county than in the southern half.

The Osage silt loam occurs along nearly all the streams and occupies the valley bottoms completely, except where interrupted by the Osage clay. The material consists of recent alluvium, deposited in times of over¬ flow. It is derived wholly from the residual prairie soils of the uplands. Along the outer edge of the larger stream bottoms, and along all the smaller draws, the material is frequently influenced by colluvial wash from the adjoining slopes. A few small patches of grayish silt loam are mapped with the type. These are of little importance because of their small total area. They really include soils which have a lighter

Where the stream bottoms are incuded within areas of the Crawford soils, the edge of the valley is usually marked by abrupt banks, but Where included within the Summit soils the rise from the valley to the upland is usually a very gradual one. The type is subject to overflow, and for this reason much of it remains forested, especially the wider bottoms. Where the type is not overflowed deeply the drainage conditions are good, although tiling would be beneficial in most places.

The soil is easily handled and is highly productive. It is adapted to all the staple crops of the region, especially corn and clover. Corn produces from forty to eighty bushels per acre. Where moisture condi¬ tions are good, and the land is not subject to overflow, it is an excellent alfalfa soil. The soil is in need of good drainage and organic matter. Lime should be added to correct any acidity in the soil and subsoil. It is doubtful if the use of commercial fertilizers would prove profitable.

The Osage clay is a black, heavy, plastic clay, grading at about nine or ten inches into a black, dark-gray or bluish-black to drab, heavy, waxy, tenacious clay. The material, especially at lower depths, is usually stained with brownish iron compounds. The soil cracks on drying and is very sticky and plastic when wet. This is a bottom-land soil found in the first bottoms of streams. It is generally developed in the broader bottoms and is subject to overflows which are often prolonged. The largest areas of the type are found along Grand River and Big Creek. It has been formed by deposition from stream-overflow water and back-water. Each inundation deposits a thin layer of fine clay material washed from the upland soils.

The greater part of the clay bottom is covered with wild grass, which yields from one to four tons of coarse hay. The soil in forested areas has a lighter texture and a lighter color. Very little of the type is cul¬ tivated on account of poor drainage and the difficulty with which the soil is handled. It is a good corn and grass soil, and when moisture conditions are favorable yields of fifty to seventy-five bushels of corn and one to two and one-half tons of hay are obtained. Small grains would probably make too rank a growth, and alfalfa will not thrive well. Tile drainage would probably be of great benefit to all of this soil. Heavy applications of lime should be made, and fall plowing and the plowing under of large quantities of coarse vegetable matter should be practiced in order to improve the structure and the moisture condition of the soil.

The natural resources under such soils, is given in the State official report by the ''Missouri Bureau of Labor Statistics/' made in 1914 in tabular form. This shows a satisfactory use of the soils. The future with improved methods gives promise much greater than this.