Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-07-07
ROGUE RIVER III
SOIL SURVEY
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
GIVES OUT REPORT.
VARIOUS SOILS ARE REPORTED ON
An Exhaustive Report by Experts
Upon the Soils of the Rogue River
Valley is Given to the Public
Large Area Covered. q.

The Department of Agriculture
has just issued the report of the soil
survey of the Medford area, Oregon,
made by the Bureau of Soils. The
territory surveyed covers 544 square
miles and lies in the central and
west-central parts of Jackson coun-
ty. The area consists of two parts,
the larger one embracing the long
and generally narrow lowland belt
locally known as the Rogue River
Valley, and the lesser part includes
a portion of the Applegate Valley
lying south and west of the main
part of the area.
The climate of the area is de-
scribed as moderate. The summer
days are warm but seldom hot and
the summer nights are always cool
and comfortable. The winter tenn
peratures are not severe, the lowest
record in the valley being about 8
degrees below zero and the average
minimum temperature during the
winter months is about 81 degrees
above. The mean winter precipita-
tion is S.3, spring 81, summer 22
and fall 4.6, and the annual mean is
20,2 inches.
The report is accompanied by a
soil map in colors showing the loca-
tion and extent of the different types
of soil found during the survey, as
well as the locations of churches,
school houses, roads and streams in
the area, and is illustrated by pho
tographic scenes showing typical
types of agriculture in the area.
That a thorough preparation of
the soil is a necessary factor in the
production of any crop seems gen.
orally to be too well known to call
for comment" states the report, but
the fact remains that a large proper
tion of the farmers in this section
entirely overlook this phase of the
question. 1t has been demonstrated
repeatedly that continued shallow
and inefficient plowing and cultiva-
tion invariably results in decreased
yields, and that within certain limits
deeper plowing and thorough cult
vation will result in at least main
tanning the average yield, if not actu-
ally increasing it.
The continuous cropping of the
soil to grain returns practically moth
ing to the soil and results in the
gradual exhaustion of the organic
matter originally present. Except in
the immediate creek bottom soils the
quantity of organic matter in tn,
soil is low and the decline in croI
yields has been fairly rapid. Thi
may be remedied either by CROWNS
a green crop to be plowed under il
the spring or by establishing a crol
rotation with grain every third o
fourth year"
Fair crops of corn may be pro
duced in the area, according to tn
report. The crop is largely grow
between the trees in young orchards
Alfalfa ranks next to wheat in acre
age and to the yield of hay in tn
area. Only small proportion of tn
alfalfa grown in the valley is irr
gated, the fields lying in the cree
bottoms where water is availabl
from adjacent streams. On thes
soils the yield of alfalfa will ru
from two to five tons to the acr
On the soils of the valley plains sin
liar yields may be expected.
The report states that the oppo
tunities to profitably produce true
crops and vegetables have been ver
much neglected, the larger part