EC38-118 Soil and Moisture Conservation in Nebraska

When the white men first explored Nebraska, they found little erosion taking place. They found the hills, particularly in eastern Nebraska, covered with a dense growth of grass, underlain with a thick mat of decaying debris. The valleys were even more densely covered with the water-loving grasses and sedges. The soil underneath the prairie was black and spongy, the result of centuries of accumulating humus. The valleys bordering the streams were boggy and abounded with springs. Clear water flowed constantly in the streams. The upland draws in the more favorable parts of the state were heavily covered with the big bluestem and slough grass. Springs occurred in many of these. Soil erosion in Nebraska has not progressed to as great an extent as in states to the east and to the south. This is because of the comparatively lower rainfall in Nebraska, because the land has been farmed for fewer years in this state, and because some Nebraska soils are comparatively less erosive. This extension circular covers factors which influence erosion, erosion control practices, and storage of soil moisture.

EC38-118 Soil and Moisture Conservation in Nebraska

When the white men first explored Nebraska, they found little erosion taking place. They found the hills, particularly in eastern Nebraska, covered with a dense growth of grass, underlain with a thick mat of decaying debris. The valleys were even more densely covered with the water-loving grasses and sedges. The soil underneath and prairie was black and soggy, the result of centuries of accumulating humus. The valleys bordernig the streams were boggy and abounded with springs. Clear water flowed constantly in the streams. The upland draws in the more favorable parts of the state were heavily covered with the big bluesteam and slough grass. Springs occurred in many of these. Soil erosion in Nebraska has not progressed to as great an extent as in states to the east and to the south. This is because of the comparatively lower rainfall in Nebraska, because the land has been farmed for fewer years in this state, and because some Nebraska soils are comparatively less erosive. This extension circular covers the factors which influence erosion, erosion control practices and storage of soil moisture.

EC31-133 The Management of Nebraska Soils (Revised March 1936)

The agricultural lands of this country are its greatest natural resource. History points out that nations with vast areas of good farm land are most likely to prosper and survive over long periods of time. Local communities, too, prosper and flourish in proportion to the productiveness of the surrounding land. Schools, social life, and business develop best in areas where the land is productive and properly managed and conserved. Nebraska, in common with other states, has suffered by the depletion of soil fertility. The reduction in acres in legumes and grasses, and the deplation of the organic matter in the surface soils, has likewise had its effect on the run-off of precipitation, soil blowing, and damage from drouth. In order to know what elements of fertility may become deficient and how soil fertility may be restored and maintained, we should understand the composition, character, and management of soils. In the following pages, some fundamentals of soil feritlity are given, followed later by a discussion of practical soil-management practices.

Review of Soils in Archaeological Research by Vance T. Holliday

When I teach geoarchaeology, I tell students on the first day of class that "soils are the canvas for much of the archaeological record." Just as an artist's canvas holds and affects the paint, soils hold archaeological materials, and soil-forming processes strongly influence the preservation and spatial pattern of cultural deposits. Given this close relationship between soils and the material remains of humans, we have long needed a treatise that addresses all aspects of soils from an archaeological perspective. Vance Holliday's latest book, Soils in Archaeological Research, does this and more.

Evidence for Millennial-Scale Climate Change During Marine Isotope Stages 2 and 3 at Little Lake, Western Oregon, U.S.A.

Pollen and geochemical data from Little Lake, western Oregon, suggest several patterns of millennial-scale environmental change during marine isotope stage (MIS) 2 (14,100–27,600 cal yr B.P.) and the latter part of MIS 3 (27,600–42,500 cal yr B.P.). During MIS 3, a series of transitions between warm- and cold-adapted taxa indicate that temperatures oscillated by ca. 2±–4±C every 1000–3000 yr. Highs and lows in summer insolation during MIS 3 are generally associated with the warmest and coldest intervals. Warm periods at Little Lake correlate with warm sea-surface temperatures in the Santa Barbara Basin. Changes in the strength of the subtropical high and the jet stream may account for synchronous changes at the two sites. During MIS 2, shifts between mesic and xeric subalpine forests suggest changes in precipitation every 1000–3000 yr. Increases in Tsuga heterophylla pollen at 25,000 and 22,000 cal yr B.P. imply brief warmings. Minimum summer insolation and maximum global ice-volumes during MIS 2 correspond to cold and dry conditions. Fluctuations in precipitation at Little Lake do not correlate with changes in the Santa Barbara Basin and may be explained by variations in the strength of the glacial anticyclone and the position of the jet stream.