soils. 169 



Cretaceous and the Carboniferous. The lands are generally prairie, with an 

 occasional live oak scattered here and there. The soils are fertile, and pro- 

 duce good crops of wheat, oats, corn, and sorghum. These soils are particu- 

 larly adapted to raising the sorghum cane. Mr. G-. W. Mahoney, four miles 

 south of Santa Anna, says that in the dryest year that has been in the last 

 eight years, he grew sorghum fifteen feet high. He was cutting his wheat 

 when I visited his place. It would average thirty bushels per acre. These 

 soils need deep plowing in the fall and deep planting in the spring, and then 

 as little cultivation during summer as possible. If the ground is broken deep 

 in the fall, and the seed planted deep in the fall or early spriag, according to 

 the variety, there is no danger but what there will be good crops of wheat 

 or oats raised. 



West of Home Creek, on a high level prairie, the soil is black waxy with 

 " hog- wallows." It looks much like some of the black lands farther eastward. 



The country between Waldrip and Brady Mountains is generally a high 

 level prairie, with mesquite brush. The soil is a reddish sandy loam. The 

 crops in this belt of country were in excellent condition, there having been 

 good rains during the entire season. The soils from the Brady Mountains to 

 Brady Creek are blacker and are not so sandy. They contain more lime. 



The soil on Brady Creek is black sandy and is very fertile. There is no 

 chance to irrigate these lands, unless it should be done by making dams and 

 storing the surplus water. 



The largest body of level land seen on this trip is what'is known as the 

 Lipan Flat, and is situated partly in Concho and partly in Tom Green County. 

 It is between the Cretaceous hills on the south and the Concho River on the 

 north and west. The body of land is from 15 to 20 miles wide and 30 miles 

 long. It is so situated that it could nearly all be irrigated by making a dam 

 near the head of the South Concho River and storing the surplus water, as 

 well as utilizing the water of the river. 



The soils of this flat are of various colors. Generally it is a black argilla- 

 ceous soil and is quite fertile. If these lands could be irrigated there are 

 none which would yield greater returns. 



The lands of the Concho rivers and their upper tributaries, Dove Creek, 

 Spring Creek, and others above the red beds of the Permian, are black and 

 very fertile. They are made from the Cretaceous strata and the vegetable 

 deposits which have grown on these lands for ages past. Large amounts of 

 these lands are under irrigation and the crops are abundant. Fine crops 

 have been raised this year on some of these lands without irrigation. 



What can be done by thorough cultivation of the uplands in this country 

 without irrigation may be seen from a description of the Riverside farm, 

 situated two and one-half miles northeast of San Angelo, and owned by 



