16 Bulletin 827, U. S. Dep't. of Agriculture. 



heavier scrls are in the rolling hill lands, much of which is too steep 

 for cultivation. The topography of this land fits it particularly for 

 grazing. In practically all sections there is bottom land and level 

 land enough to produce a sufficient quantity of feed for wintering 

 cattle and in many sections to grow feed for finishing cattle for 

 market. 



On the basis of topographic, soil, or drainage differences the 

 Coastal Plain includes a number of well-defined subdivisions or 

 subordinate regions. Detailed descriptions of the soils of the Piney 

 Woods area, also soil-survey maps, may be obtained from the Bu- 

 reau of Soils, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF SOILS. 



In the selection of a location for a cattle ranch the adaptability 

 of the soils for growing feed and improving pastures should be an 

 important consideration. Some locations are so rough that they_ 

 must be kept in grass to prevent washing and are not suitable for 

 cultivation. While these lands may provide excellent grazing, to 

 be desirable they should have level or bottom lands in connection 

 to permit the growing of winter feeds. Many locations which are 

 adapted to cultivation so far as topography is concerned have a 

 sandy subsoil and require heavy fertilization to produce feed crops. 

 The fertility of these lands rapidly leaches away under cultivation, 

 though much of the sandy land furnishes good natural grazing. 



The lands which can not be converted into farming lands should 

 be developed less intensively and in larger tracts than the more 

 valuable tracts.. Pasture improvement should be by natural rather 

 than by intensive methods and only such feed crops grown as are 

 necessary to earn" cattle through winter and permit marketing 

 them ofF grass. 



The level and rolling lands with clay subsoils are well adapted for 

 intensive pasture improvement and the production of feed crops. 

 The fertility of these lands may be built up rapidly by the use of 

 legumes and animal manures, and feed may be grown to fatten all 

 the cattle produced. These lands should be converted gradually 

 into smaller farms and their future value as such will justify the 

 gradual improvement while being used as cattle range. 



OWNERSHIP OF LANDS AND SIZE OF HOLDINGS. 



This great body of undeveloped lands is now largely owned or 

 controlled by lumber syndicates and large sawmill companies whose 

 holdings vary from a few thousand acres to half a million. The 

 holdings of the lumbermen who answered questionnaires on the sub- 

 ject averaged 29,000 acres. The owners were interested primarily 



