THE YAZOO-MISSISSIPPI DELTA 



The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, located in the western part of Mississippi, is an 

 alluvial empire in itself, consisting of 6,648 square miles, or 4,250,000 acres of 

 the most fertile lands in the United States. About 2,200,000 acres of this valley 

 is in cultivation and for generations has been noted for its continued production 

 of the famous long-staple cotton of commerce. This valley extends from Memphis, 

 Tenn., to Vicksburg, Miss., a distance of about 170 miles and its greatest 

 breadth is about 65 miles. Many streams, rivers and bayous provide natural 

 drainage for the Delta lands, but planters and farmers whose lands need artificial 

 drainage, will, in the opinion of some of our best engineers, encounter no unusual 

 obstacles. The entire Delta has a natural drainage from east to west, and from 

 the north to the south. 



On a Delta Plantation 



Soils 



These alluvial soils have been termed the "geological cream" of the United 

 States, composed of the fertile top-soils brought down by the "Father of Waters" 

 and its tributaries from the extreme northern part of the United States to the 

 Gulf of Mexico; so that in the composition of the soil we find all of the highly 

 productive agricultural states of the North joined hands in building this 

 mighty empire. In these alluvial soils are mingled the loams and silt, the nitrogen 

 and humus, the potash and phosphates, which, combined, make an almost perfect 

 soil. The most famous alluvial lands are called "gumbo," "buckshot," silty loams 

 and sandy clays. The sandy and loamy soils were deposited along the course of 

 the streams and the clayey soils in the interior. The coarser loam soils contain 

 5 per cent clay and 15 per cent silt. The finer grained soils contain from 12 

 to 18 per cent clay and 30 to 65 per cent silt. The larger portion of the remaining 

 composition is a very fine sand. The soil varies in depth from 12 inches to 3 feet 

 on the loam soils to 100 feet on the alluvial soils. The "gumbo" soil is a dark, 

 waxy clay and is one of the most product ive when properly handled. These soils 

 grow splendid crops of alfalfa and other legumes. They range in depth from one 

 to six feet. 



Climate 



The climatic conditions in the Delta are ideal lor the growing of cotton, which 

 is the principal money crop and which in the past has yielded large returns to 



