26 AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE or TEXAS. 



Agricultural operations show much improvement in methods of man- 

 agement. Farms average 25 acres in size. Some new land is cleared 

 each year, but there is a slight tendency to abandon old lands when new 

 lands are cleared. The timber is not burned so extensively when new 

 lands are cleared as was formerly the practice. Where lands are broken 

 and hilly soils are subject to severe erosion. Pasture and waste lands 

 are the result of overflow or erosion. Overflow areas are usually timbered 

 with mixed hardwoods. Pasture areas furnish grazing for large num- 

 bers of cattle. There is little or no sentiment in favor of a stock law. 



Lumbering operations have been carried on in Jasper County for the 

 past 25 years. Ten mills, eight of which have daily capacities ranging 

 from 50 thousand to 200 thousand feet, the other two being small and 

 irregular in their cut, produce approximately 300,000,000 feet of lumber 

 annually. Two of the large mills, located at Eemlig and Bessmay, tram 

 their logs from Newton County. In view of the large acreage of virgin 

 timber and second growth lands it is estimated that the present cut can 

 be maintained for at least eight to ten years. 



Turpentine operations cover a territory of about 25,000 acres. Crop- 

 ping is by the cup and gutter system and immediately precedes the logging. 

 Turpentine areas are burned over each year under the supervision of the 

 operators. Tie operators produce not more than 132,000 pine, 60,000 

 hewn red oak and 8,000 hewn white and post oak ties annually. Waste 

 characterizes the cutting, however, and about all of the easily accessible 

 tie timber has been cut out. Two operators produce not more than 60,000 

 white oak staves per year. At this rate the available stave timber will 

 be cut out in about three years. Fuelwood is cut only for home con- 

 sumption. A small tool handle industry is carried on by local farmers. 



Fire is a serious problem in Jasper County. Grass and woodland areas 

 burn over almost annually and as a consequence pine reproduction on cut- 

 over areas is entirely absent. Black jack, oak and sweet gum are repro- 

 ducing on such areas rather than the more desirable pine. 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 



Only a narrow belt along the extreme northern border of Jefferson 

 County, approximating six per cent of the total land area, lies within 

 the loblolly pine region. The remainder of the county is treeless except 

 for scattered areas of pine on the lighter soils and of mixed hardwoods 

 and pine along some of the streams. The land surface is low and very 

 level. Natural drainage is exceedingly poor and systems of ditches for 

 drainage as well as for irrigating the extensive rice fields are maintained. 

 Soils vary from light sands to heavy, black, clay loams. More than 100 

 miles of public roads are paved and 500 miles graded. Not less than 

 100 miles of mainline railroad serve the county. The oil interests are large 

 and grazing is an important industry. 



The land area may be divided as follows : 



Approximate total area 709,760 acres. 



Virgin timber lands Negligible 



Second growth lands Negligible. 



Culled and cut-over lands 57,000 acres. 



All other lands 652,760 acres. 



