The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1916-07-21
VARIOUS SOILS FOUND IN
SINGLE TEXAS COUNTY
U. S. Department of Agriculture Re-
ports on Soil Survey of srazos
County, Adaptablity, Etc.

Washington, D. CA report of the
soil survey of Brazos county, Texas,
recently made by the U. S. department
of agriculture, follows:
Cotton is the chief crop and the
climatic conditions on the whole are
favorable for it. Serious reductions In
cotton yields are not often caused by
unfavOrable weather. Corn, the sec
ond crop in Importance, is more likely
to suffer from drouths. but these only
occasionally cause complete crop fail
ure. Deeper blowing and more careful
cultivation to conserve moisture are
suggested as means of preventing dam
age from this cause.
Corn, oats, sorghum, cowpeas, al
falfa, peanuts and sweet potatoes are
grown in small quantities. The aver
age yield of cotton for the county ia
slightly more than one-third of bale
per acre, but on different soils the
averages range from Il of bale to
q or more on the best bottom lands.
On account of the boil weevil, early
planting, the selection of early matur-
ing varieties, and the use of CONNER
cial fertilizers are practiced to hasten
maturity.
With many farmers corn Is the only
crop grown besides cotton. The yields
are frequently very low, the crop be-
ing grown on many soils which are
poorly adapted to it. Good results, es.
peclally on the heavier soil types, fol-
low deeper breaking of the land and
frequent shallow cultivation. Well.
rotted manure and commercial fertiliz-
ers are recommended.
Oats are grown to small extent,
chiefly as a hay crop. The low yields
and the prevalence OF rust discourage
extensive production. The develop.
ment of rust-proof varieties and strains
especially adapted to local conditions
is the only means of bringing about
an increase in the acreage.
A few farmers plant cowpeas in al
ternate rows of corn and thus obtain
exceptionally good results. BY judic.
ious fertilization and by conserving
soil moisture, cowpeas can be made a
valuable part of a systematic rotation
On the Brazos river bottoms alfalfa
is valuable hay and pasturage crop
Successful stands are obtained with.
out preliminary incubation or lining.
Experiments are being made with
Sudan grass also by the agricultural
experiment station and 1t is believed
that this plant will afford much-need.
ed summer hay and pasture crop. Pea,
nuts and sweet potatoes can be grown
with success on many of the sandy
soils, and on some of the deeper we'll.
drained types these crops would be
profitable in fattening hogs. Stock
raising Is now carried on mainly In
conjunction with general farming. On
those soils best adapted to growing
peanuts and sweet potatoes hogs ap-
parently offer good opportunities for
profit.
Thirteen soil series, including 80
types, are found in Brazos county.
These may be divided into two groups:
the upland soils and the bottom-land
and terrace soils. Probably rs per
cent of the total area of the county
Is occupied by the upland soils, while
the alluyial types are found in com.
paratively narrow areas along the
courses of the rivers and large creeks.
Fine sandy loan and clay loan pre-
dominate on the uplands and clay and
fine sandy loan on the bottoms.
The upland soils are principally
grayish or grayish brown in color with
small areas of black land. The fine
sandy loans greatly predominant and,
in general, the subsoils are stiff, plas-
tic, impervious clays. The prairie
lands are both somewhat more produc-
tive and can be placed under cultiva-
ton at less expense than the forested
land. Along the Brazos river the al
luVial soils are for the most part choc-
olate red Along the Navasota river,
on the other hand, the soils consist
mostly of black clay with drab subsoils.
The Lufkin soils are the most extern
sive in the county. They are charac.
terized by grayish surfaces and gray
or drab, imperyious, clay subsoils. The
Lufkin fine sandy loan is the most
widely distributed type of the series,
occupying 40 per cent of the total area
of the county.
The black or dark colored prairie
soils are classed with the Wilson and
Crockett series.
The Wilson soils are black to very
dark gray on the surface, with black
to dark drab clay subsoils.
The other upland soils include the
SusQuehanna, Tabor and Norfolk
series. OF these the Susquehanna
soils are characterized by red or red
and drab notified subsoils. All Of the
land is well drained and easily cult