HOUSTON COUNTY. 



321 



from thirty-five to about forty per cent of metallic iron in the different sam- 

 ples taken. Other ores, seemingly of better quality, were sent me after my 

 return to Austin, and it is probable that the more detailed investigation to be 

 made during the coming field season will show ores of workable purity. In 

 order to bring ores of such quality as are here shown by analysis to a work- 

 able grade (compared with the massive and laminated ores of other counties 

 of the district) it would be necessary to crush and wash them, in order to get 

 rid of the excess of silica, which should not be more than ten or twelve per 

 cent. So far as the other deleterious substances, such as sulphur and phos- 

 phorus, are concerned, these ores compare very well with the general average 

 of Texas ores, even if they are not a little above it. 



The following table of analyses, made in the laboratory of the Survey, of 

 specimens collected by myself from localities northwest and northeast of 

 Crockett, represents the character of the ores so far as examined up to this 

 time. 



ANALYSES OF CROCKETT COUNTY IRON ORES. 







1062* 



1063 



1064 



1 36.75 



32.60 



37.10 



1065 



! 33.92 





e3 



a 



a 



< 



V 



1 



Is 



r< 



g . 



o-'S 



Loss on 

 Ignition. 



Total. 



51.46 



5.24 



0.82 



0.40 



0.49 



4.90 



100.06 



55.04 



4.56 



0.60 



0.19 



0.20 



6.70 



99.89 



50.91 



4.09 



1.15 



0.47 



0.17 



6.10 



99.99 



54.21 



4.19 



1.00 



0.59 



0.28- 



6.10 



100.29 



36.02 

 38.53 

 35.64 

 37.94 



*Analysis by J. H. Herndon. 



Localities. 

 No. 1062. Twelve miles northeast of Crockett. 

 No. 1063. Near Davis' Creek. 

 No. 1064. Twelve miles northeast of Crockett. 

 No. 1065. Eight miles northwest of Crockett. 



SOILS. 



Houston County has a variety of soils, as has already been stated. They 

 can, however, be divided into four general classes: 



Gray sandy soils Upland 



Mulatto soils ... Lowland soils. 



Red sandy and red clayey Lowland soils. 



Chocolate soils River bottom soil. 



"The river bottom soils, or chocolate lands, are found along all the rivers, 

 and are alluvial. They vary from the clayey to the sandy class, but gen- 

 erally belong to the former, differing a little in color according to the local 

 presence or absence or iron. They are frequently highly calcareous, especially 

 along the larger rivers, which having previously flowed over vast areas of 

 calcareous rocks in the prairie region, have become highly charged with car- 



