LVITI REPOET OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 



MISSISSIPPI. 



During the past fiscal 3"ear the Bureau has mapped an area of 656 

 square miles around Yazoo Cit}', the work being' in charge of Mr. Jay 

 A. Bonsteel. 



About one-third of the area is in the uplands and two-thirds in the 

 Yazoo and Mississippi Delta. The upland soil is a t^'pical loess, and 

 it has been suggested, as a result of the surve}", that alfalfa can l)e 

 produced on it as a basis for stock raising. In its present condition 

 it is little esteemed as a cotton soil. 



It was supposed that the delta would present a very uniform soil 

 condition, but four soil types were recognized, each with very distinct 

 agricultural values. The Yazoo claj" is the most productive cotton 

 soil, yielding from 1^ to If bales per acre, and even more under the 

 best methods of cultivation. This, however, covers only about 17 

 per cent of the delta. The Yazoo loam, covering about 6 per cent of 

 the delta, 3delds from three-fourths to 1 bale of cotton per acre. The 

 Yazoo sandy loam, covering 9 per cent of the delta, produces about 

 three-fourths of a bale to the acre, while the Sharkey cIslj, covering 

 68 per cent of the delta, is not cultivated on account of the annual 

 overflow. The flood waters leave the land about the 1st of June, but 

 although the land is subsequently drj" it is then too late for crops to 

 be put in. 



It has been pointed out, as a result of this soil survey, that the Yazoo 

 sandy loam is a t^'pical early truck soil, and that, with the prevailing- 

 climatic conditions, potatoes or other truck crops would prove a 

 remarkably profitable industr}- on this soil. 



The Sharkey clay is a wonderfully productive soil, and it appears 

 from the investigations that have been made that the engineering 

 problem of protecting it against the annual floods would not be very 

 difiicult, nor expensive when the value of the soil so reclaimed is con- 

 sidered. It is believed that these three suggestions, if followed by the 

 people, will well repay the money expended in the survey-. 



It is proposed to continue and extend this work to include a larger 

 area of the delta lands and possibly to take up one other area in the 

 State, devoting in all about six months in the next field season to the 

 work. 



MISSOURI. 



During the latter part of the past fiscal year Mr. Fippin was assigned 

 to survey Howell Count}', in the fruit area of the Ozark region. It is 

 probable that the whole area of this county will be surveyed during 

 the present field season. It has been found that the soils are remark- 

 abl}" uniform and that the fruit interests can be extensively developed, 

 but it is advisable that the methods be improved to attain the highest 

 commercial success. 



