The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-05-13
IA SOIL SURVEY
FOR MISSISSIPPI
SHOWS EXCEPTIONAL oPPoRTUN.
tiles ARE OFFERED FOR
TRUCK FARMING.
Also Fine For the Production of Cot
ton and the Cultivation Of Pecans
and Satsuma Oranges.

WASHINGTON, May 13-Dr. ]. A
Bonesteel, of the Bureau of Soils, Ag
ricultural Department, has just return
ed from an extensive tour of the South
including the states of Alabama, Mis-
sissippi and Florida, which he under
took for the purpose of Investigate
ing the adaptability of different types
of soils for certain kinds of crops, par
ticularly winter and early vegetables
Discussing this trip he said:
" l visited some of the soil survey
parties working in Alabama and held
conference with Commissioner of
Agriculture J. A. Wilkinson in re-
gard to future operations in the state.
Alabama is expanding $4,000 an
nually in cooperation with the Blu
reau of Soils, which is expanding a
like amount in the completion of soil
survey work in the state of Alabama
This cooperation hos been in effect
less than two years. but by Jan. l.,
1910, larger area of soil survey work
will have been completed in Alabama
than in any other state in the United
States. Four soil survey parties are
at present engaged in the work there
and surveys are in progress in ITALIA
poosa, Coffee, Baldwin and Hale
counties. The work in at least three
of these counties will be completed
during July or early in August, and
additional work will then be taken up
in the north central portion of the
state. The soil surveys thus far
completed have shown a wonderful
diversity in the soil and the suf
veys are laying the foundation for
an agricultural development in the
state which in due time will be no
less marked than the industrial de-
velopment of the coal and iron fields
in north central Alabama.
Il also visited the soil survey party
which is working in Jackson county.
Miss, in the vicinity of Scranton and
Ocean Springs. The native pine tim
Der and agricultural development is
in its infancy. Only a few thousand
acres of land are actually under cult
walton in the area surveyed, but the
soils and climatic conditions are such
that there are exceptional opportuni-
ties for the development of trucking
industry, of pecan culture, of the
production of the Satsuma orange.
and eventually for the production of
cotton, both the Sea Island and long
staple varieties, within the area.
From Ocean Springs, Miss, I went
to Mariana, Fla, where a soil sur
vey of the western portion of Jackson
county, Fla, is nearly completed. In
addition to the soils usual in the
eastward section of the United
States there are also in this county
soils of considerable extent which
are derived from the UNDERLYING
limestone and constitute some of the
most fertile cotton and corn soils of
the south Atlantic section. This land
is generally held in large bodies.
single owners controlling from 90.
900 to 100000 acres. The subdivision
of this land into small farms and
homesteads will eventually bring
about a rapid development of the
great agricultural resources of that
section, and the production of cane
syrup, cotton, corn, oats and prob
ably tobacco, is possible under the
soil and climatic conditions existing
within the Mariana area.
Il returned, more enthusiastic than
ever over the possibilities for de.
veloping the unused agricultural
lands of the South, not merely for the
production of staple crops with good
average returns per acre, out also
with regard to the development of
special industries where, from tha
production of fruits, nuts, garden
vegetables and tobacco, the soils NAV
be made to aggregate from $500 to
$4,000 per acre under intensive forms
of cultivation"