Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-30
POPULAR SCIENCE.
THE BLACK PRAIRIE 3EGIOh OF
TEXAS.
Produ, tiveness-Srk-Division and ~
Structure Timbe- ard Water.

Our frequent reference 80 he black
prairie reoion in Texas his caused IS 10 re-
ceive mary letters fror, dis ant readers u
The GAZETTE asking for Inforla,i,n as %
what manner of formation y country til
black prairie IS. We taaG MS FeipOd Of
answering all our CORES poTCenls il crested
with referenc5 g. n" patta., drawing ups
Professor Robert T. Hill 5 paper Oh u
cretaceous rocks of Texas. as appearing il
the first annual repo of tie state geolog
cal survey, for the facts
Pr, lessor Hill says of the black prairie
region OF Texas that it occupies IN elor-
gated area extending tn length of the stats
from Red River to the Rio Grande Is
eastern border is approximately the south
western termination of the great Atlantic
timber belt The Missouri Pacific and the
International railroads from Denison 70
San Antonio approximately mark . wes'-
ern edge. A little south of the center. along
the Colorado river, the black prairie IS re
s;ricteu TO IS naIrowest limits.
-
In general the black prairie region o,
Texas consists of a level plain. impercept:-
bly, sloping to the southeast, varied only b!
gentle undulations and deep drainage va
leys, unmarked by precipitate canyons. L
is transacted at intervals by the larger
streams, whose deep-cut valleys, together
with their side streams, make indentatlou9
into the plain, but not sufficient to destroy
the Characteristic fairness of its wide d.
vides-remnants of the original PLAIN, or
topographic marine base-level which has
not been completely scored by lis still use
full drainage system. The altitude OF no
black prairie plain is from coo 20 $40 ier'
above the level of the sea.
uThe surface of most of the blaci; psari7
region of Texas Is deep blac clay SOL
which whel wet becomes excessively
tenacious or ';sticly,"a fact which often
causes it to be called black waxy pra.rIe.
1t is very rich in lime, and this acting upon
decomposing vegetable matter, causes me
black color. The soil is exceedingly ie'-
tile, and almo-5 every foot Of the D-a'-
prairie is susceptible of a high state Of c-.-
tivation. 1T makes up one Of the large~'
continuous agricultural regions IL --e
United States. Large crops of co,to1 ana
corn, W h other minor crops, a-e ANNUALLY
raised upon these fertile lands, though -
yet they are but thinly settled as = "nos-
-
The black prairie of Texas is subdiv.deg
longitudinally into four parallel STRIPS OIL
country, differing slightly and distinglisA-
able only by slight differences II top'-
graphy, an5 in the underlying rocks, Ils
easternmost of these divisions north OF 'Ae
Brazos river is distinguishable by the o.
currence of sand in its black soil, and occ|
sionally purer belts of sand. Between 'ls
Brazos and the Colorado rivers, hoWe'e''
the sand is scarcely perceptible. lnEileN'
ately interior of this is located the larse9'
and nest charac teristic area, when =
marked by the stifest of the black WAY
clay soils. Upon digging through this ares
the substructure is found TO consist VI
light blue or yellow calcareous clay. Ih-e'
the main portion of the black prairie c'H
stitutes fully two-thirds of its total area
The back prairie region or Texas :
mainly treeless, though occasionally inarHe
here and there by handsome clumpS 0'-
evergreen oaks. Along the western o'ruei'
well up, as about Dallas, the lower cr's'
timbers approach, and hence give h'te
trees than further down. We ma a'N
that this black prairie region rs not vel.
well watered on the surface, as 8 rule '1'