﻿4 
  

  

  Harper: 
  A 
  week 
  in 
  eastern 
  Texas 
  301 
  

  

  ^ 
  An 
  interesting 
  feature 
  of 
  this 
  belt 
  is 
  the 
  occurrence, 
  in 
  its 
  

   northern 
  portions, 
  of 
  several 
  "salt 
  domes," 
  which 
  have 
  attracted 
  

   considerable 
  attention 
  from 
  oil 
  prospectors 
  but 
  which 
  have 
  ap- 
  

   parently 
  never 
  been 
  investigated 
  botanically.* 
  

  

  between 
  

  

  n 
  

  

  and 
  the 
  black 
  prairie 
  belt 
  is 
  that 
  in 
  1909-10 
  the 
  prairie 
  farmers 
  

   spent 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  third 
  of 
  a 
  cent 
  for 
  fertilizers, 
  for 
  each 
  acre 
  of 
  

   improved 
  land, 
  while 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  LIgnitic 
  belt 
  spent 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  

  

  4 
  * 
  

  

  two 
  cents 
  an 
  acre. 
  

  

  . 
  Areas 
  of 
  uncertain 
  relationship.— 
  'EdiSt 
  of 
  the 
  Lignitic 
  belt 
  and 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  Trinity 
  River 
  are 
  the 
  Fayette 
  prairie 
  and 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   other 
  kinds 
  of 
  country 
  that 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  accurately 
  mapped, 
  

   and 
  whose 
  boundaries 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  locate 
  satisfactorily 
  in 
  the 
  short 
  

   time 
  available, 
  especially 
  when 
  I 
  crossed 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  at 
  night. 
  

   The 
  belt 
  in 
  which 
  College 
  Station 
  is 
  situated 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  char- 
  

   acterized 
  by 
  buff-colored 
  rather 
  clayey 
  soils 
  of 
  medium 
  fertility, 
  

   and 
  very 
  open 
  forests 
  of 
  small 
  oaks 
  and 
  other 
  deciduous 
  trees. 
  

   The 
  Fayette 
  prairie 
  resembles 
  the 
  black 
  prairie 
  in 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  its 
  

   soil, 
  but 
  is 
  flatter 
  and 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  cultivated, 
  with 
  a 
  larger 
  

   percentage 
  of 
  negroes. 
  Live 
  oak 
  growing 
  in 
  clumps 
  or 
  '*motts 
  

   is 
  a 
  characteristic 
  feature 
  in 
  some 
  places. 
  The 
  yield 
  of 
  corn 
  

   per 
  acre, 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  counties 
  selected 
  as 
  typical, 
  is 
  even 
  higher 
  than 
  

   in 
  the 
  black 
  prairie. 
  The 
  blackness 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  noteworthy, 
  for 
  

   it 
  is 
  derived 
  from 
  Eocene 
  strata 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  as 
  obviously 
  cal- 
  

   careous 
  as 
  are 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  prairie; 
  For 
  

  

  r 
  

  

  some 
  reason 
  apparently 
  not 
  yet 
  explained, 
  almost 
  any 
  formation 
  

   in 
  Texas 
  can 
  make 
  a 
  black 
  soil, 
  just 
  as 
  in 
  Alabama 
  and 
  Georgia 
  

   many 
  kinds 
  of 
  rock 
  weather 
  into 
  red 
  clay, 
  and 
  in 
  Florida 
  the 
  

  

  ■ 
  

  

  final 
  product 
  is 
  commonly 
  sand. 
  In 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  eastern 
  Texas 
  

   one 
  can 
  see 
  the 
  curious 
  combination 
  of 
  black 
  soils 
  and 
  red 
  subsoils. 
  

   No 
  doubt 
  the 
  complete 
  explanation 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  take 
  climate 
  into 
  

   consideration. 
  > 
  

  

  The 
  red 
  hills, 
  or 
  short 
  leaf 
  pine 
  region.— 
  Th.\s 
  region, 
  in 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   treme 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  state, 
  is 
  an 
  extensive 
  area 
  characterized 
  

   by 
  Eocene 
  strata 
  a 
  little 
  younger 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Lignitic 
  belt, 
  

  

  ♦For 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  one 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  diameter, 
  in 
  Freestone 
  County, 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  of 
  marsh 
  grass, 
  see 
  E. 
  DeGoIyer. 
  Jour. 
  Geology 
  (Chicago) 
  

   27: 
  647-663,/. 
  J. 
  2. 
  "Nov.-Dec. 
  lyrg" 
  [Feb. 
  1920?. 
  

  

  