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Clifford soil and landscape

Soil profile: A profile of Clifford sandy clay loam in an area of Clifford sandy clay loam, 2 to 8 percent slopes, moderately eroded.

 

Landscape: Typical landscape and Clifford soils along the Blue Ridge escarpment in Surry County, North Carolina. (Soil Survey of Surry County, North Carolina; by Roger J. Leab, Natural Resources Conservation Service)

archive.org/details/surryNC2007

 

Setting

Landscape: Piedmont uplands

Landform: Hills

Geomorphic component: Interfluves

Shape and size of areas: Elongated or irregular; 5 to 500 acres

 

Composition

Clifford and similar soils: About 88 percent

Dissimilar soils: About 12 percent

Typical Profile

Surface layer:

yellowish red sandy clay loam

Subsoil:

red clay

Underlying material:

red clay loam

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, mesic Typic Kanhapludults

 

Soil Properties and Qualities

Depth class: Very deep

Agricultural drainage class: Well drained

Saturated hydraulic conductivity class: Moderately high

Available water capacity: Moderate or high

Flooding: None

Shrink-swell potential: Low

Erosion class: Moderate

Slope class: Gently sloping

Index surface runoff: Low

Depth to bedrock: More than 60 inches to hard bedrock

 

Minor Components

Similar:

• Fairview soils, which have a thinner subsoil than the Clifford soil

Dissimilar:

• Woolwine soils, which have soft bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches

• Westfield soils, which have soft bedrock at a depth of 40 to 60 inches

 

Land Use

Dominant uses: Cropland, pasture, and hayland

Cropland

Suitability: Moderately suited

Management concerns: Erodibility and soil fertility

Management measures and considerations:

• Resource management systems that include diversions, stripcropping, contour tillage, no-till farming (fig. 11), and crop residue management reduce the hazard of erosion, help to control surface runoff, and maximize water infiltration.

• Applying lime and fertilizer according to recommendations from soil tests increases the availability of plant nutrients and maximizes productivity.

 

Pasture and hayland

Suitability: Well suited

Management concerns: Erodibility and soil fertility

Management measures and considerations:

• Preparing seedbeds on the contour or across the slope reduces the hazard of erosion and increases the germination rate.

• Applying lime and fertilizer according to recommendations from soil tests increases the availability of plant nutrients and maximizes productivity when establishing, maintaining, or renovating pasture and hayland.

 

For a detailed description of the soil, visit:

soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/C/CLIFFORD.html

 

For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:

casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#clifford

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Uploaded on February 2, 2011
Taken in January 2000