﻿300 
  Harper: 
  A 
  week 
  in 
  eastern 
  Texas 
  

  

  and 
  5241 
  for 
  negroes), 
  which 
  seems 
  rather 
  low; 
  but 
  the 
  two 
  

   counties 
  that 
  I 
  crossed 
  are 
  above 
  the 
  regional 
  average 
  in 
  that 
  

   respect, 
  and 
  there 
  may 
  also 
  have 
  been 
  some 
  improvement 
  between 
  

   1 
  910 
  and 
  1918, 
  Windmills, 
  another 
  token 
  of 
  moderate 
  prosperity, 
  

   are 
  much 
  more 
  frequent 
  in 
  the 
  black 
  prairie 
  belt 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   regions 
  farther 
  east. 
  

  

  The 
  Ligfiitic 
  belt. 
  — 
  At 
  the 
  eastern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  prairies 
  

   as 
  above 
  defined 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  pretty 
  sudden 
  transition 
  to 
  a 
  non- 
  

  

  t 
  

  

  calcareous 
  belt, 
  about 
  15 
  miles 
  wide 
  in 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  Austin 
  but 
  

   wider 
  northward, 
  characterized 
  by 
  Eocene 
  strata 
  of 
  the 
  Wilcox 
  

  

  ■ 
  

  

  formation 
  (Lignitic 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  geologists), 
  which 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  

   rather 
  sandy 
  soils 
  with 
  pale 
  clayey 
  subsoils. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  good 
  

   deal 
  of 
  ferruginous 
  sandstone, 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  

   many 
  non-calcareous 
  uplands 
  in 
  the 
  coastal 
  plain 
  from 
  New 
  

   Jersey 
  to 
  Mississippi. 
  Quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  lignite 
  mines 
  and 
  brick 
  

   and 
  tile 
  plants 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  train, 
  and 
  the 
  domestic 
  

   water 
  supply 
  is 
  mostly 
  from 
  dug 
  wells, 
  indicating 
  pretty 
  good 
  

   water 
  — 
  ^something 
  that 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  Texas. 
  On 
  

   ac'count 
  of 
  the 
  comparatively 
  poor 
  soil, 
  only 
  about 
  one 
  fourth 
  of 
  

   the 
  area 
  is, 
  cultivated 
  (30.5 
  per 
  cent 
  improved 
  in 
  1910 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   selected 
  counties, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  include 
  parts 
  of 
  more 
  fertile 
  regions 
  

   on 
  either 
  side). 
  

  

  . 
  I 
  crossed 
  this 
  belt 
  in 
  1915 
  in 
  Caldwell 
  and 
  neighboring 
  counties, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1918 
  in 
  Milam 
  and 
  Bastrop, 
  but 
  only 
  the 
  1918 
  notes 
  are 
  

  

  used 
  here. 
  

  

  common 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  th 
  

  

  black 
  prairies. 
  Qtiercus 
  stellate 
  constitutes 
  about 
  tw 
  

  

  the 
  forest 
  and 
  Q 
  

  

  and 
  both 
  are 
  

  

  small, 
  hardly 
  fit 
  for 
  saw 
  timber. 
  No 
  regular 
  shrubs 
  were 
  noticed, 
  

   but 
  Vitis 
  cinerea 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  vine, 
  and 
  Daiibentonia 
  longijoUa 
  

   (called 
  Seshania 
  Cavanillesii 
  by 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  writers 
  on 
  Texas 
  

   plants, 
  such 
  as 
  Plank), 
  a 
  tall 
  woody 
  herb 
  or 
  short-lived 
  shrub, 
  is 
  a 
  

   common 
  weed. 
  The 
  prevailing 
  herbs 
  are 
  about 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Andropogon 
  scoparius 
  {Sesbania 
  sp.7) 
  

  

  (Crolon 
  capllatus) 
  BapHsia 
  leucopkaea? 
  

  

  Eupalorium 
  composilifoUum 
  {Froelichia 
  campeslris) 
  

   (Helenium 
  lenuifoUum) 
  

  

  to 
  be 
  born 
  in 
  Mexico, 
  though 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  counties 
  provide 
  separate 
  schools 
  for 
  them 
  

   as 
  they 
  do 
  for 
  negroes), 
  and 
  their 
  standards 
  of 
  living 
  are 
  little 
  if 
  any 
  higher 
  than 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  negroes. 
  In 
  the 
  Alabama 
  black 
  belt 
  the 
  average 
  farm 
  building 
  values 
  for 
  

   whites 
  and 
  negroes 
  in 
  igio 
  were 
  I897 
  and 
  J114, 
  respectively. 
  

  

  