The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1917-03-01

| Washington, D. c., Feb. 23.-To de,
ternine the nature of the soil types
in Ripley County, Mo-, in order that
local farmers may be assisted in fit.
ting crops to soils to best advantage
the Bureau Of Soils of the U. S. Gov.
eminent Department of Agriculture
in cooperation with the University of
Missouri Agricultural Experiment Sta.
ton, has made soil survey of the
county. The report of the survey, just
published by the department, contains
a soil map of the county, on which
farmers may find the approximate To-
cation of tehir farms, and So pages of
text describing the various soils and
discussing their capabilities.
The report includes brief historical
and geographical sketch of the region
surveyed and statistics relating to its
climate. approximately only IL per
cent of the county, the survey dis
closed, is in improved land. Agricul-
tural methods, considering the county
as whole, are not of the most inn
proved type but the practice is good
in some sections and rapid progress
toward improvement is being made.
In general, it can be said, the agricul-
ture Of the county is in a state of
transition from stock farming to mix
ed framing or the growing of grain in
connection with stock raising. The
natural conditions of Ripley County
tend to make the raising of live stock
the most practical and profitable of
the agricultural industries. The diff
Guilty Of cultivating most of the soils
and the poor facilities for marketing
the crops naturally turn the attention
of the farmers to the raising of stock.
The extensive areas of open range
make it possible to raise stock at low
cost
The principal need of the soils of
Ripley County is for organic matter,
which may be supplied by barnyard
manure, green crops turned under,
and the use of judicious rotations.
Some Of the soils need lime and others
could be improved by drainage.
The Soils of Ripley County.
The report describes Is soil types
belonging to 9 series named in ac-
cordance with the classification adopt
ed by the U. S. Bureau of Soils, and
Rough Stony Land, a miscellaneous,
nonagricultural type.
The GAINESVILLE series covers nearly
60 per cent of the county. The Deca-
tur gravelly loan comprises nearly II
per cent, and Rough stony land 10 per
cent. The only other soils of consid-
cradle extent are those of the Hunting
ton series, which cover per cent of
the county's area. The remaining Sc
ries are Waverly, Memphis, Holly,
Hagerstown, Lintonia and Sharkey.
The GAINESVILLE stony loan is, in
general, nonagricultural. The gravel
ly loan of this series has surface soils
of gray underlain at shallow depths by
pale yellow silt loan. ebert frag-
ments are abundant. The type occurs
in the northwestern part of the coun-
ty. The silt loan of the seriees has a
gray to whitish surface soil of silt
loan, changing at a depth of 1 to 2
inches to pale yellow silt loan. This
type is confined to the "fiatwoods" sec
ton in the eastern part of the county.
The Decature series is represented
by the gravelly loan which has a gray
ish surface soil, passing at or 8
inches into a pale yellowish silt loan,
and this abruptly into a reddish silly
clay loan. The type occurs in the
southwestern part of the county.
The Huntington series has brown
surface soils. The gravelly loan is
found chiefly along smaller streams.
The fine sandy loan is developed main
ly along the Current River near Gains
Ferry. The silt loan occurs over the
broader bottoms of the larger streams,
especially Current River and Fourche,
Buffalo and Little Barren Creeks.
The Waverly series is made up of
grayish river bottom soils. The fine
sandy loan is confined to the south
eastern corner of the county. The
very fine sandy loan occurs in this
same section near Naylor. The silt
loan is developed along the Little
Black River.
The Memphis series is represented
by the silt loan which has brownish
surface soils, buff upper subsoils, and
light to yellow clay lower subsoils. It
occurs along the outer edge of the
uplands, bordering the bottom lands !
y, 49, r. -