8 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



toward droughty conditions during the latter part of the growing 

 season it may be stated that the average cotton yield upon the 

 Houston clay is undoubtedly in excess of one-half bale per acre. 

 There are, of course, seasonal variations, dependent chiefly upon 

 rainfall conditions, but in general the type produces from one-third 

 bale as a minimum crop, to yields in excess of 1 bale per acre upon 

 well-situated land which has been properly tilled. This soil is so 

 highly esteemed for the production of cotton that in many areas this 

 crop is planted almost to the total exclusion of any other. 



Corn yields range from 30 to 50 bushels per acre, with maximum 

 yields as high as 75 bushels. Under unfavorable conditions the pro- 

 duction drops as low as 8 to 12 bushels per acre. The lower yields 

 prevail over areas subjected to excessive erosion or areas water- 

 logged by excessive rainfall which has prevented the germination or 

 subsequent growth of the corn crop during the earlier part of the 

 season or where excessive drought in midsummer has cut down the 

 grain yield. 



Over considerable areas of the Houston clay Johnson grass, allied 

 to the sorghums, has attained a foothold practically to the exclusion 

 of cotton or corn. Johnson grass is considered one of the pests of the 

 cotton planter, yet it yields from 1J to 3 tons of hay per acre, worth 

 from $15 to $18 per ton. Bermuda grass has so invaded some of the 

 fields that they have been given up to it, being used for grazing or for 

 the cutting of hay. 



More recently alfalfa has been introduced upon the Houston clay 

 and, particularly in Alabama and Mississippi, growing this crop has 

 become a special feature of the agriculture of areas occupied by the 

 type. The Houston clay possesses several characteristics requisite 

 for successful alfalfa growing. In the first place it is decidedly cal- 

 careous, thus favoring the inoculation of the alfalfa and the mainte- 

 nance of the requisite bacteria within the root nodules. When prop- 

 erly treated the surface soil of the Houston clay is also granular, 

 friable, and easily maintained in good tilth. Consequently an even 

 stand of alfalfa may be obtained. The crop is only suited to those 

 portions of the type which are either naturally well drained or over 

 which some effort has been made at the artificial underdrainage of the 

 subsoil. Alfalfa is a deep-rooted plant, which is decidedly intolerant 

 of a saturated condition of the subsoil. In consequence, extremely 

 level areas of the Houston clay, where water stands either at the sur- 

 face or within the subsoil, are not suited to the production of this crop. 

 There are, however, thousands of acres of the type sufficiently well 

 drained to constitute an admirable soil for alfalfa growing. Where 

 a stand of the crop has been obtained it is possible, with the long 

 growing season of the Gulf coast region, to obtain four and frequently 



