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 Foot-
hil,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
'southem boundary of California is on the sarne Darallel as the
northem
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 conali-
tions 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 described- and 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 de-
scribed 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*ei-
vrlle. 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.
glve goocl-results wilh ppaches. tiei
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 269

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 con-
sidembleextent 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 condi-
tion, 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

. That portion 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
ranges. -l 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
qeep, rrrabtc, and g.enera y of excpllent quality. are
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
3l:T,c^3:
scarrereq ililglll" 9f the.vallevs
rhro,ugh the
and as.rollinsor undulaling uplands
va ey region. They have a ralher hiavv sub_
, sori.-our are tree lrom hardpans, arc \tell lo.a{ed wil,h refere;ce
lne lrost hazard. and are well suiled to the production to
i' 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
;;;;

11iiUffi ir..x-';lf iii"ff

lt';*'*-\11$;
if;if ;'f *i3Jf
!1itlt",Ii':"Y"",1t?J0,"
exr€nr
orthechuckawana
Deselt._These likewise have consialerabl€
.""r" g""a i"l".l
li;,1,
ff",liJn'#::
iE-:i:1,[i*"'if:l: alil+i:ij*:
:l;i,i"Tg
manotnesaai-easIhat.are at DrespnldesFd wasies.ihey shouldprove
"f ""if*

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
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"..
;ill,!F\"d;i'ltl
dn:,"x;i,i,1}?i:f.,iii"ll,,ll*l,,tii;*,n
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{;;
{fii"fd"'#:-tiff'Ji#,*lr:,';.lg
t.yl"[#fi":":,i,lif hli:
:f'i:"ii,iitf
l?f.""il'i,;,f, illiiliif*{"i:,:",}_l[rJl],ill*
0n"".'
"T'Yi:i,1"T1,',:; ;T",'"Jl;,,0,p
i!!'ff sLrppry
o{warcr
andis
or rruri
ffili?;fl!i#fft"i'i:ili:'"devcropmenr inaustrv
asweri
as
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

] .'+ffxJ,il;,ilTH
Oregon line
ilfi13::"H""illliS,:'"[di:';, jJ:$"#:]ili
?12. rk" ]erqg BpLBIlk Cotiforni.a
"f
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 fC 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_
merDle zncl loo^l parrelr:tliorrreadilJ rpachpsro ,on!,dAI2ble "rrbroils are
'lhe presan.e depth.
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"