Soils Of California By Chas. F. Shaw Professor Of Soil Technology University Of California Berkeley

266

Tke Reaf,taBh& Book oJ Catifomi&

CEAS. F. SflAw Prof*sot aj San,re"hnoinq!, unluosit! ol Colitornta

,

The ReaJtVBl e Book ol Cdlifortuia

267

The Soilsof California BU CuAs. tr'. SEArry Vo,r;ation of Soils--4eog'.aphicatDilti.siona_-Soilsol tke Great Va.lle|-The "yolo" Series-The SanJoarfuinqnd Madera Se es. Soils Adapted to Dry" Farnling-Wkitc Ash Soil.s-Ped,t Iand^s-S;its of Coa.sta[VqI]eE,Si;ftq Foothil,ls, dnd,Intermttuntain Vo,ueus. ALIFORNIA has a wider variation in the characterof its soils than has any other state iIr th€ United States. It extendlsover [ine degrees of latitude, ard is over 800 miles in length. The northem 'southem boundary of California is on the sarne Darallel as the boundaryof Massachusell,s. while ils southemboundarylies in the samd latitude as Beaufort, South Carolina, Macon, Georgia, snd Montgomery, Alabama. Its agricultural soils are found irnder conalitions of rainfall from over rinety inches in the moist, cool coast of Eumboldt county, to less than three inches in the dry, hot stretches of the Imperial Valley, whiie crops ale grown at elevationsof 200 feet b€lowsea level in [he Imperial Valley to over 6000 leet aboveiD the gardensof Mono county. With this area, equivalent to the maior portions of seven eastern Btates (see map), and ]vide variety of climatic conditions, soils of great diveNity have been formed. In the soil survev work to date122seriesof soils havebeenrecognizedand describedand their chaDcter established. This ca.n be compared with the eighty odd serics found in the corresponding area on the eastern coa.st of the United States. GEOGRAPHICAL DIVTSIONOF SOILS For convenience in consideration, the soil conditions will be described as they occur in more or less definite geog?aphical regions, as The Great Valley, Southem California, Imperial Valley region, etc. SOILS OF TIID GBEAT VALLEY

T'heGreat Valley of Californie includesthe Sacramentoand San Valleys, and is over 800 miles long and 40 to ?0 miles wide.

is madeup almostwholly of transpottedsoilsalmostequallydivided tweenthe old transpoded material and the recentalluvial deposits, Along the Sacramento,San ioaquin and the other rivers flowing from.lhe Sierras are large bodiesof rccentalluvial soilsof a )ighi, ,wn to a brown color. They occur as long, irregular flood plains as broad, gently sloping alluvial fans or deltas, often many miles and are deep,friable and generallyof excellentquality. They

26a

The Renl,taBlue Book of Colilornitr

,

are readily commandedby irrigai ion water and a very larse Dart of lhe rnl,enaivedevclopmentin the Crear Valley has occurreaion these soils.. They are_amonglhpbesl ir\the slale ani t aueglven eicepLionai results with alfalfa. 6eldcropsand wirh de.iduousfruiis and sraDes. Along (he SacramenioRiver they have bepnmost cxtensivelyalev6ted [o. alrarra, p€ars. prunes and apri|"ols. On the delta of Mokalumne r(rv.er,near lrctt, they are almost exclusivelydevotedto l,ablesraDes. whrle larther lo the soubhthe developmentis dividedbelweenniac-hes. rars-lng?ap?s.alfal fa and field crops. Th6sesoils (Columbiaaird Han_ Ior_dsenes) cover a lotal area in ihis valley of over one million acres, and -representthe highesl.qualily soils encounteredin lhe state of uauloLDra. THE 'YOLO" SERIES Aiong.th-e streams coming out from lhe coast ranges in the Sac_ ramenro va ey an_d-thenorthpm part of the San Joaquin Valley are extensrve areas of brown to dark brown soils (yolo series) ouite slmrrar rn many ways to those just described and of very hiqh oualitv. 'lo.some €xtent these soils havp been devoted to fruiis, but ior uie marn-part th€y are producing alfalfa and 6eld crops. fhev ar.e well quttsg 19 b.oth_, and with a furthpr development of irrigaiidl will un_ qouDreory be ro a greater extpnt devoted io fruit in the future. TIIE SAN JOAQUINAND MADDRASF,BIES .- On the east side of the Great Valley, in a belt from two to ten mjles wide and exlpnding fi"orn Red Bl;ff io tn" uiciniiv oi-po*eivrlle. ls an-erea_ot red and reddish brown soils (San toaquin and flaoar"aserres) hav'ng a disiinct,,iron,. hardpan layer ai depths of from 18 inches lo 30 inches benearh ihe surl.ace. T}ese Lrra;;n s1ii" consiitute one of the most striking soii areas i" tht;t ;;. T;;; occ.upy-6mooth. undulating or rolling topography and hive been uurrzed,marnry Jbr paslure and dry_farmpd grain- l-f irrigarion water $ av€-|abte. and the hafdpans are broken by explosives. makine posslole root panetration io the normal soil bpneath the hardDan. tiei glve goocl-results wilh ppaches. fus, olives, grapcs and olhir fruiLc.. lneap so|ls constttutc one of ihe largest areas of undelelopcdlands in the Gleat Valley. While irrigatjonr:snot asea6) asonthesmoother recenl sorls.the tands lie in a position readily commandcdbv dilches jn 3nd -undoublectty thc Jubure tley will be much morp .xtensively developedto bigh quality crops. AIIE DDLANOAND DUCO&SER,IES In.the southem part of the San Joaquin Valley on the east siale are-soils quitesimilar in.haracter but rithout Ihe hardDan (Delano and L,ucor spries). w1lerp water is available, these soiis ';l;";;are bpins exiensively delclops6 1. deciduousfruits. alfaifa ard i; i; clrrus rrurls. the su.cessof {he latter being limited by local arcsl con_ ollron€., AdJornlngIhespsoi]s.jowards lhp mountains,lies an area of chocolalebro$'n to reddish brown soils (portprville series) lo(allv Known as -dry_bog" bpcauseof t hejr tanden.y r o break into a sranula; condlton on ctrJnng. Because of their location in the tler;al belt rhp) are exlensively utilized for ihe produrtion oI cilrus fruits. Under

The Reo,ltqBLueBook of Caklornia

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irrigation the dry bog condition is liable to break do\'r'nard the soils becomehard, lumpy and difficult to keep in good physical condition, but by carefully controlled inigation and well planned tillage, the physical condition of these soils csn be maintaired without much difffculty. SOILS ,ADAPTED TO..DRY,,FASMINC On the west side of the San JoaquinValley q\tends a g?€atarea _ . of brown, gralsh brown and g?ay old transpor-ted soils having medium heavy to heavy clay subsoils. Owing to the lack of water, thesesoils have not been extensively irigated and their use is limiteal almost wholly to pasture and dry-farming gmin. Where the rarnfall conditions are sufficient, the production of g?ain is quite successful. Similar soilsare found in Bmallerscatteredbodiesalonethe west siale of the Sa.ramenio Valley. whilc thc norther.npart oathai- valley is made up quite largely of red to light yellowish rpd, gaavelly and stony soils, somehaving a cementedhardpan-likesubstratum,while others are moderately open and porous. This land is used for pa8tute and grain when dry, but vrith inigation considerableareas have been plantedto fruits with goodrcsults. GRAINANDPASTIMESOILS Thloughout the ceniral part of the SacramentoValley occurlarg€ areas of heavy soils, the black clays and clay adobes of the Butte Basin (Stockton series). the chocolatebrown of the Colusa B6sin (Willows sedes), and the dark gray soils (Saoamento) of the Lower Colusa,American and Yolo BasiDs. These heavy soils have been larg€ly devoted[o grain and pasture. bul, with the developmentof rice, grain has largely given \oay to l,hFlallcr crop for which these soilshave provento be well suited. ..WHITEASH,,SOII^S Throughoutthe central portion of San JoaquinValley, in a body narlow in the north but gradually broadening out to the south, lie the so-called"v,rhiteash" soils (Fresno and Pond series) occuplng level topog"aphyand readily commandedby irrigation wat€r. To a considembleextent thesesoils have beeninjured by poor drainag€ and the resultingaccumulationsof alkali, and are utilized only for pasture. Where free from alkali, they are giving excellent retums with grains, alfalfa, grapes and fruits. The future development of this great body of soils dependson the possibilitiesof protection from poor drainageand of reclamationfrom iniurious accumulationsof alkali. PEAT LANDS

At the junction of the Sacramentoand San Joaquin rive$ lies an areaof nearly 300,000acresof peat lands. In their natuml condition, theseislandswere subjectto periodicoverflowand were covered \{ith a heavygrowth of tule and other water-lovingplants. They have beenreclaimed by dyking out the overflow water and now constitute an exceptionallyproductiveregion noted particularly for asparagus, onionsand potatoes,but which produceslarge quantities of barley, corn and beans. They are exceedinglyproductive,giving large yields

270

The Redtu Bl,ueBook of California ,

of the cropsthat are suiled to l,hem.and consjitule a very valuable as wetr as nlghty lnterestjngpan of the creat valley. THE SOILSOF SOUTHIIRNCALIFORNIA portion That of Southern Califomia occupying the valleys open_ . ing out.to tle.coasl from Santa Barbara east to lhe San Bernariino lvrounrarnsand south through San Diego county, constitutes a recion or so]|s more or tcss similar in thpir genefal character. The la;eer porrron ot thrs area is madp up of recent alluvial fans and flood ola_ins ourrt up uy tnc slreams fiowing out from the surroundins mountain -l ranges. fresesoils have been mapped in the Hanford. Tuiunsa. Fos_ rer and yoto seriesand consritu[ethp highest quality soils f6und in rne.srare. r hey are in a high state of development throushoul most large areas bping devoted ro the prdauction oi crtrus rrul(s, whrlp mu(h larger areas are devoted lo dc.iduous fruits. warnuls. grapes. altalfa. beans, bepls and truck crops. The soils are qeep, rrrabtc, and g.enera y of excpllent quality. They occupy smooth slopes,anda,re ideatly tocated fol, irrigation farming. Wilh s,ater lor uTrgauon,thc tull areas occupiedby thesesoils should ultimatelv be qF\,oredto very Intensive agricultural and horti.ull.ural practicps. The oro.rransporred sojts (majnly Rincon,Ramona,placenti; and Antioch senes). occur 'n lhjs region as fragmenlar-y benches and footslooes

and as.rollinsor undulaling uplands 3l:T,c^3: 9f the.vallevs scarrereq ililglll" rhro,ugh the va ey region.

,

i'

They have a ralher hiavv sub_ sori.-our are tree lrom hardpans, arc \tell lo.a{ed wil,h refere;ce to lne lrost hazard. and are well suiled to the production of citrLrs inriis. _becauseor thelr topograp}ic position rhey are djfficult ro rea.h with whele nor irrisated are gcnsfxl1, devoied to grain or-io H"tT;1^o THE SOILSOF THE IMPERIALVALLTYREGION UMer this heading is in.luded rhe lmperisl, Coacheliaand palo ,, veroe va eys. -f,tpartya of the agricultural soils in this recion reprerenr j-elatlvely recent deposils of alluvial material, rhe lmD;rial atro rato verde va pys being made up almost wholly of sedimenrs depositedby lhe CotoradoRiver. Someof rhescsedjmentsh;;; b;; rurTner transported and modified by wind, bur in qeneral thev cafl.v Ine cnaractpnslrcq oJ a rccent alluvisl deposit. Thi soils ranse lrom a rrgnLDrown to a chocolaie tinl and in texture from soft fin; sands And to.sliff hard ctays. rl. are ,erv-jeep-liri ii nrgnlandy.ioams rerlrhry anctwith suitabledrainageand "oits sumcient watcr for irTi_ ga on Lneyhave proven highly productive. The heavicr l,extured soils are very_dt,ncuttto handle and have considerableac.umulationsof arKalt- I he htgh temperaturesand fertile soils have madpjhis section . psp€clatty sutled to the prcductionof parly crops.and lettuce,tomaloes and other vegetablesare shippedout in large quantiiies. not onlv to rne wes.eln markets but atso to fhose of the Allanti. seaboard.Melonq are €xlensively produced,but corron and alfalfa *" *""J ol tnese vallels. rvilh dairying a very important "".industry. "t"pf" In the uoaene||a" va ey are large areas of soil formed from deposits bv srreams _trom the noTl,hand west. These loils are g?ay to brown i-n color and generallysandsand sandy loams. They aie devotea_io_itl

?he Reo'ItaBlue Book ol Cali.fornio

271

ff;"j"ili*fJ, fftlsl":"#,."31i,%alyf J,T:ii *'gllHitrilltl*".. DESERTLAND SOILS

AdjoiniDg the Imperial Valley on either side is a consialerable

a',""";,'"3;"6#"1il#,H bt"::f f,?tffi:ff [iHll#l$ijj"": +rgli aresime areas oI very fine soils inrerspeised with conside;able ;;;;

iii"ff 11iiUffi ir..x-';lf lt';*'*-\11$; exr€nr orthechuckawana if;if ;'f *i3Jf !1itlt",Ii':"Y"",1t?J0,"

Deselt._These likewise have consialerabl€ .""r"

g""a

i"l".l

li;,1, ff",liJn'#:: :l;i,i"Tg alil+i:ij*: iE-:i:1,[i*"'if:l: il"J ii*f,ffii*1;;t""*:;tg,*l;,1: ":i:;"i1"":i,t';i1,,;ll ifi,'#it;111i";.Jl;il :"uTJ,i:iiiili l:fli1T: :i,iil",,*i'-"lJ",f "f

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manotnesaai-easIhat.are at DrespnldesFd wasies.ihey shouldprove

TIIE SOILS O]I THE GBEA1 BASIN REGION

The creat Basin Region includes the Mojave Desert and the other ai€a! lying norlh ol rhF lmperjal Valley and easrof rn" Si"",." :f,ioun_

llji"jrdll"-Ir,"^..i:;":i""'ff1';1g",ijl,i:';'i.J1"..

;i,i,1}?i:f.,iii"ll,,ll*l,,tii;*,n ;ill,!F\"d;i'ltl dn:,"x

iffi:"';iii"^l};'l'"iil:l,ti i::lJJfl ;TSii,l31"tll.: ll;l"",lii:t iif:."'iil"'U;,:il,X1,l,",l,iliTl,""ili"jili"",""if"'$ ;i:ylijillJl;ii".l:J:g :it';j"T""^'lif ii :ffi; lll#[l*lly,ilj

,F,:$'#*'f i$i*rln,r*"r}#rs#irrl;#s:rii{;; 'Ji#,*lr:,';.lg

t.yl"[#fi":":,i,lif hli: {fi i"fd"'#:-tiff 'i:"ii,iitf l?f.""il'i,;,f, :f illiiliif*{"i:,:",}_l[rJl],ill* 0n"".'

"T'Yi:i,1"T1,',:; ;T",'"Jl;,,0,p sLrppry o{warcr andis i!!'ff or rruri inaustrv as weri as ffili?;fl!i#fft"i'i:ili:'"devcropmenr SOILS OI' THE COASTALVALLEY RECION T h e C o a s l _R a n g e s f r o m S a n r a B a r b a r a n o r l h t o r h e Oregon line

jJ:$"#:]ili ilfi13::"H""illliS,:'"[di:';, ] .'+ffxJ,il;,ilTH

?12.

rk" ]erqg BpLBIlk

"f

Cotiforni.a

are confinedlo thesevallpys.although grain, hay and somp fruil is produced on the residual soils of the louer slopps and ridgps. Thc soils of the valleys are almost e,'holly Lransporled, occu-rrins as terr:rces and benchps.as sloping alluvial ,[ans oi as level ffood p[ins. Tlcy. vary widely in .haracrer, bui, usually are depp ancl free from alkatr,nardpans,or other serioussjructul'aldelects.alihough they are sometimesratlerdefi.ient in drainage. The fans and borto; landsof most oI these\alleys.onsist of lhe brown soils of the yolo seriesor the d€rk gra) ro black soils of tne Dublin serips. Thpseare of hish _uality and are vely producri\e. Jn the Sanla Maria and Salin"as ValleysLhey are extensivelyde\oted to beansand bFets,while in the valreyslarlher north they are utilized lor the production of pruncs, apricotsand other.fruits and for allalla and r rtck crops. tn jhe Eei River Valley, soils somewhat similar to these have been developed. They ar€ deep.-highlyproductive and here are generally devoted io the proclu.lron ol lorage crop! and root clops with dairyinq as Lhe imDor_ lart jnclustry o_flhe region. The lerracF and bench landi of t he valieys Includea numbpr oI dtffarentsoil series.\ary;ng widely in charanier and in productivity. They are ulilized for pistu=re.grain, beans,ae_ clquousffutrs anct grapes.ctependingon ihe kind of soil and jhe ( male, the tocat conditionsol rainfall and iemperature oftFn being the deciding factor in determining the crops to be grown. SOILS Of 'IHE SIERRA IPOTHILL

REGION

Alolg the west flank of the Sierras lying at elevations be]o1r3000 feet is,thelong. narrcy'foorhill ,bell mtde up ol a seriesof iiregutai uprands. rtdg.es anct_ht y areas cut by narrow valieys. The soils are amosi vhotty resrdua,. being produced by thp wpalhering ol ihe nar-'ve.rocks and tor llle mosl part fall inlo ihree series, {he Holland anc blerra, Iormpd Irom granite rocks, and lbe Aiken fr,om th€ baaall,6and lavas. The soils are reasonably fefljle and give sooil resulls wirh deciduousfruits, particularly wiih pears, plumJ, pea?fres ano.appres. I he_sotls vary greall} in deplh, thprp being numerous anarrow spol,sand rock oulcrops in almosl e\ erfr ficld and {he value ol the orchards is trequenlly modified considerably by the amounl oI waste land o(casioned by thesa shallow ptaces. irrilation ls aitnnutl oecauseor the lopography. but lvater is generally abundcnt and bv contour farming and .areful planning of tiie irrigition systems satisl_ ractory-results can be readily obtained. This region contains large areas or undevetopecttand, mosl, ot it lying in places relatively remote rrom goodshrpplngpoints. WitI thc developmenbolbetler roads and rrngalron. these araas can be broughl under produ.tion. SOILSOF TI'E INTER-MOUNTAINVALLEYS Under this heading are jncludcd the agTicultural areas in the northea€tern parl of the state. usually lying in small,.irreaular vallevs enctospclby the -rAngesof the Sierra. Siskiyou or Klamarh mountains. rne agrcutturat soils are practically all iransporled and vary widelv rn tnelr character, depending on local condiljons atrecting thct form;_ tion. Most of the valleys lie at elevations over :O0Ofeei and are jub_ Ject to severc I rosts during the late months oI sp ng and the early

monlhsof fall. Theyarc tell suited,OottUv ."r!on o-f cii"iili "oiJ

The Rea,ttuBIueBook oLqolito, ni; and .limare, to r hp produ.rioD ol grass and foi.agecrofs, and with rhe exlensrverangps In the surrounding mountainsand lorests ihey ar.e ac|mrabiysuiled to the ploductionoi beefand dairf carfle. Jn a num_ oeror thesp\^ pys deriduoust"ui1s and \egetable!.an be grown wllh surcess.bui rheir locetior..remole from lianspona,ion u"suallypr._ .rude! economc suc.pss$ ilh thesecroD". GENMAL.SUMMANY T h p s o i l s . o f C a l i f o r n i a\ a r y w i d e i y i n . h a r a ( t e r , b u l r a k p a s a w ,n o l ea l ' pn r g h r yD r o d u c l i vaF d o I g o o dq u a l i r y . I r l o s - u f r h e s o i l s a r e oeep.and tree tTom any slru.lural dafe(ts. Tl-" per_ "rrbroils are merDle zncl loo^l parrelr:tliorrreadilJ rpachpsro ,on!,dAI2ble depth. 'lhe presan.e ot undesirablaleaturps is pasy to hs.p.tnin. Ha|d;ans can,bp "aadily.rp.ognizpdby thF LSeof a soi aLrg,r whitc clra:;age coldrlron-sw.rl j rlrcale the possiblepr'ene.p ul atkaji o| rhc nrob_ abllrly 01 rls lulura accunrulalion. Thp spF.;fi. .hara.tpr of the soils in the ditrerent parts of the state ar.e showl by the soil it ut are being made and Dublished as fast as facilities pernit. "u.u"v"