The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-08-29

Corn staple CrOps-Truck started.
The Bureau of Soils. of the Department
Of Agriculture. has issued IN advance
sheet fo-m report on the soil survey Of
Monroe County, Miss, by r. A winston.
Ora Lee, jr.. A. w. Mangum, w. J. Lat-
ner. =. f. Kocher, and Howard c. smith.
The report contains brief history Of the
county and a description Of its topog-
raphy. climate. agriculture. AMI soils.
ard is accompanied by a large cnlored
map showing the extent and kinds OF
soil found. The following is seminary
Of the sport:
Monroe County lies in the northeast
ern part OF Mississippi. IN the first tier
o. counties along the Alabama line and
about sixty-dve miles south - the Ten
ncssce border Il comprises $3.50 acres,
or about ISL square miles. The tvpog-
raphy ranges from rolling 10 undUlsting
or comparatively level The two princi-
ral drainage lines are the Tombigbee
River, flowing across the central portion
or the country from north to south. and
the Buttahatchie River, flowing IN the
same general direction through the east
ern part and emptying into the Tombig-
bee at the southern edge of the county.
Area Wen Settled.
"The settlement Of the area IS fairly
general. more marked, however. over the
more productive soils and in the neigh
borhood OF the railroads and towns A
large part Of the area is under cultiva-
ton and yields range from fair 20 good.
The timbered hnly sections in the east
and the low-lylng. poorly drained areas
In the valleys or the larger streams rep
resent the lands OF lowest agricultural
value.
Aberdeen, with about 5000 inhabitants,
near the center of the county. is the
county seat and the most important town
OF the county, while Amory, in the north
with a population OK l,5o0 is a thriving
business place.
-Four systems OF railroads operate IN
the area-the Frisco In the northeast
err section, the Mobile and Ohio in the
western the Illinois Central in the south
ern, and the Aberdeen and Tombigbee
Valley across the central part, in a
northwest and southeast direction. Am
pie transportation facilities are convent
ent 10 all sections. Rural mail delivery
routes and telephone lines are universal
Public roads are yet largely unimpTOVcd
though efficient methods OF road-buildihg
are being adopted. Artesian water IS had
In abundance over large sections Of the
area.
Diversified Agriculture Possible.
Climatic conditions are favorable to a
diversified agriculture. The winters are
mild and short and the summers long and
comparatively hot The rainfall is wei
distributed throughout the year. with the
highest average during the late winter
months.
Cotton and corn are the staple crops
with oats. wheat. sorghum. melons, pea
nuts. potatoes, vegetables. fruits, berries,
scwpeas. alfalfa. Johnson grass. melilo-
rus, &C, produced in sufficient quantities
10 meet local needs. The introduction Of
alfalfa IN the black prairie region and It's
successful culture bids fair TO make that
Dne Of the staple crops Of the limestone
section.
Commercial fertilizers are used ex-
lensively on the lighter sandy soils. No
general system Of crop rotation is large
" practlced. and little recognition Is
given 70 the adaptation OF soils to crops
Negro labor is largely used and proves
satisfactory under supervision. The
monthly wage is about SIS.
'Twenty-three types Of soil were estab-
lished in the area varying in texture from
sandy loans to clays. Large areas still
support forest growth Of hardwood and
pine.
The Houston clay is probably the
strongest upland soil Of the area Tor gem
bral farming purposes. Cotton, corn, and
forage crops are the chief products, cot
ton yielding from one-half TO three
fourths of a bale and corn from thirty
to seventy-hve bushels to the acre. John
son grass, alfalfa, and millilotus are the
chief forage crops, with yields ranging
from three to six tons to the acre The
type has value Of so to $50 an acre.
Houston Chalk in UpIanda.
'The Houston chalk represents expos
ures OF the limestone formation, resulting
largely from erosion. The growing OF
melilotus is the most profitable utiliza-
ton OF these areas, as well as the best
method Of retaining them to cultivation.
The Trinity clay is a black, heavy
bottom soil OF the prairie areas and is
subject to overflow. II IS a strong soil
Tor cotton. corn, and forage crops. cot
ton producing from one-half 10 one bale.
corn from forty TO seventy-ive bushels.
and hay, chiefly Johnson grass, from
three TO six tons TO the acre. II has
value Of from $25 TO $50 an acre.
The Oktibbeha clay loan Is a some
what lighter soil than the clay and
slightly more friable, though its agri-
cultural value and possibilities are about
the same.
The Oktlbbeha silt loan where well
drained produces fair to good crops
Drainage. deep plowing. and the Incorpo-
ration of organic matter to modify its