B Y
W IL L IA M
F . H A T F IE L D
A N D
JO H N
W . W ARNER,
S O IL
C O N S E R V A T IO N
S E R V IC E
U N IT E D
S T A T E S
D E P A R T M E N T
O F
A G R IC U L T U R E ,
S O IL
C O N S E R V A T IO N
S E R V IC E ,
I N
C O O P E R A T IO N
W IT H
W EST
V IR G IN IA
A G R IC U L T U R A L
E X P E R IM E N T
S T A T IO N
J
E F F E R S O N
C O U N T Y
is
in
th e
e a s te rn p a n h a n d le
o f W e s t V il1 g in ia
in th e e a s te rn m o s t p a rt o f th e S ta te
( fig . 1 ) .It
h a s a to ta l a re a o f 1 3 5 ,0 4 0 a c re s , o r 2 1 1 s q u a re
m ile s . In
1 9 7 0 ,th e p o p u la tio n
o f th e c o u n ty w a s 2 1 ,2 8 0 a n d
C h a rle s T o w n , th e c o u n ty s e a t, h a d a p o p u la tio n
o f 3 ,0 2 3 .
J e ffe rs o n 'C o u n ty is o n e o f th e b e s t c o u n tie s fo r fa rm in g
in th e s ta te . It
h a s a fa v o ra b le
g ro w in g
s e a s o n a n d fa irly
a d e q u a te ra in fa ll.
A b o u t
th re e - fo u rth s
o f th e
la n d
is in
fa rm s . P rin c ip a l
fa rm
e n te rp ris e s a re o rc h a rd fru its ,
d a iry
p ro d u c ts , b e e f c a ttle , h o g s , fe e d c ro p s , a n d h a y .
T h e r o llin g
lim e s to n e v a lle y
m a k e s u p 'a b o u t fo u r-fifth s
o f th e c o u n ty . It is u s e d p rim a rily
fo r fa rm s a n d o rc h a rd s .
W o o d e d a re a s a re o n ly
in
s m a ll s c a tte re d p a tc h e s o n th e
fa rm s . T h e
a re a o f th e
s te e p B lu e
R id g e
M o u n ta in s ,
re -
fe rre d
t o
lo c a lly
a s "B lu e
R id g e
M o u n ta in "
o r
"B lu e
R id g e ,"
is m o s tly
w o o d e d a n d is m a in ly
u s e d fo r
re c re a -
tio n a n d h o m e s ite s .
L im e s to n e
fo r
v a rio u s
u s e s is
q u a rrie d
e x te n s iv e ly .
M any
h o m e s , to w n s , a n d
v illa g e s
a re
p o in ts
o f
h is to ric
in te re s t. A
n a tio n a l
p a rk
is lo c a te d a t H a rp e rs
F e rry .A
F e d e ra l fis h
h a tc h e ry
a n d
re s e a rc h s ta tio n
is
lo c a te d
a t
L e e to w n .
W HEE
- -
/
/ 1
~
, ' = - - ' ; - - -J ~
. (
C L A R K S B u R L
I H U N T
- I
\
/
)
~
H ow
T h is
S ~ rv e y
W as
M ade
S o il s c ie n tis ts m a d e th is
s u rv e y to le a rn
w h a t k in d s
o f
s o il a r e in
J e ffe rs o n C o u n ty , w h e re th e y
a re lo c a te d , .a n d
h o w
th e y
can be used. The
s o il s c ie n tis ts
w e n t in to
th e
c o u n ty
k n o w in g
th e y
lik e ly
w o u ld
fin d
m any
s o iL s th e y
h a d
a lre a d y
seen and
p e rh a p s
s o m e th e y
h a d
n o t. T h e y
o b s e rv e d th e
s te e p n e s s ,le n g th ,
a n d
shape of
s lo p e s ; th e
s iz e a n d s p e e d o f s tre a m s ; th e k in d s
o f n a tiv e
p la n ts
o r
c ro p s ; th e k in d s
o f ro c k ;
a n d m a n y fa c ts a b o u t th e s o ils .
T h e y
d u g m a n y h o le s to
e x p o s e s o li p r o file s . A
p ro file
is
th e
s e q u e n c e o f n a tu ra l
la y e r s , o r h o r iz o n s , in
a s o il;
it
e x te n d s fro m
th e
s u rfa c e
dow n
in to
th e
p a re n t
m a te ria l
th a t
has not been changed m uch
b y
le a c h in g
or by
th e
a c tio n o f p la n t
ro o ts .
T h e
s o il s c ie n tis ts m a d e c o m p a r is o n s
am ong
th e
p ro -
file s th e y
s tu d ie d , a n d th e y
c o m p a re d th e s e p ro file s
w ith
th o s e in
c o u n tie s n e a rb y a n d in p la c e s m o re d is ta n t. T h e y
c la s s ifie d
a n d
nam ed
th e
s o ils
a c c o rd in g
t o
n a tio n w id e ,
u n ifo rm
p ro c e d u re s . T h e s o il s e rie s a n d th e s o il p h a s e a re
th e
c a te g o rie s o f
s o il c la s s ific a tio n
m o s t u s e d in
a lo c a l
s u rv e y .
S o ils
th a t
h a v e
p ro file s
a lm o s t
a ]ik e
m ake
u p
a
s o il
s e rie s . E x c e p t
fo r
d iffe re n t
te x tu re
in
th e
s u rfa c e
la y e r,
a ll th e
s o ils o f
o n e s e r ie s h a v e m a jo r
h o riz o n s
th a t
a re
s im ila r
in
th ic k n e s s , a rra n g e m e n t,
a n d
o th e r
im p o rta n t
c h a ra c te ris tic s .
E a c h
s o il s e r ie s is
nam ed
fo r
a town
o r
o th e r g e o g ra p h ic
fe a tu re
n e a r th e
p la c e w h e re
a s o il o f
th a t
s e rie s w a s firs t
o b s e rv e d a n d
m a p p e d . D e k a lb
a n d
D u ffie ld ,
fo r
e x a m p le ; a re th e
nam es of
tw o
s o il
s e rie s .
A ll
th e s o ils in
th e U n ite d
S ta te s h a v in g
th e s a m e s e rie s
nam e
a re
e s s e n tia lly
a lik e
in
th o s e
c h a ra c te ris tic s
th a t
a ffe c t th e ir
b e h a v io r in th e u n d is tu rb e d
la n d s c a p e .
S o ils o f o n e s e r ie s c a n d iffe r
in
te x tu re
o f th e
s u rfa c e
la y e r a n d in
s lo p e , s to n in e s s , o r s o m e o th e r c h a ra c te ris tic
th a t
a ffe c ts u s e o f th e s o ils b y m a n . O n th e b a s is o f s u c h
d iffe r e n c e s , a s o il s e r ie s is d iv id e d
in to
p h a s e s . T h e
nam e
o f
a s o il p h a s e in d ic a te s
a
fe a tu re
th a t
a ffe c ts m a n a g e -
m e n t. F o r
e x a m p le , H a g e rs to w n
s ilt
lo a m , 2 to
6 p e rc e n t
s lo p e s , is
one of
s e v e ra l p h a s e s w ith in
th e
H a g e rs to w n
s e rIe s .
A fte r
a g u id e
fo r
c la s s ify in g
a n d
n a m in g
th e
s o ils
h a d b e e n w o rk e d
o u t, th e
s o il s c ie n tis ts d re w
th e
b o u n d -
a r ie s o f th e in d iv id u a l
s o ils o n a e ria l p h o to g ra p h s . T h e s e
p h o to g ra p h s
s h o w
w o o d la n d s ,
b u ild in g s ,
fie ld
b o rd e rs ,
tre e s , a n d o th e r d e ta ils
th a t
h e lp
in
d ra w in g
b o u n d a rie s
/'I.- '
~
's " "
\" i," " " ,,r
"",';m ,",'",;,,"
F ig u re
1 .-L o c a tio n
o f J e ffe rs o n
C o u n ty
in
W e s t V ir g in ia .
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