FARM MANAGEMENT STUDY OF COTTON FARMS. 7 
In wet weather, and especially during the winter months, this clay 
sticks to the wagon wheels in large quantities and it is frequently 
seen along the roads in piles where it has been removed. 1 
The Houston black clay is well adapted to the growth of cotton, 
corn, grain, and various legumes. Alfalfa does very well on the 
more level areas. Various other feed crops yield well when 
climatic conditions are favorable. 
Another and closely related group of soils found in the southern 
part of Texas (see map, fig. 1) is known as the Victoria series. 2 
These soils are more nearly level than the Houston series, but have 
the same general properties. Where climatic conditions are similar 
the same crop adaptations are found. Both series contain a high per- 
centage of lime. 
An area lying between the " black land " of the Houston series and 
the Victoria series (see map, fig. 1) contains considerable bodies of 
heavy black soil between areas of sandy and other light-textured 
soils. These areas of heavy land may belong to either the Houston 
or Victoria group. 
CLIMATE. 
Ellis County has a mild climate. The summers are rather long and 
hot. In winter the temperature is mild, except during the " northers," 
which occur at irregular intervals. The "northers" are a continu- 
ation of the blizzards of the Great Plains region of the United States 
and cause very sudden drops in temperature to points considerably 
below freezing. 
The growing season is about eight months in duration, the average 
date of the last killing frost in the spring being March 21 and the' 
first in the fall being November 10, according to the records of the 
U. S. Weather Bureau station at Waxahachie. The same authority 
reports the average annual rainfall as 35.44 inches. The greatest 
amount of rainfall occurs during May and June, being on the aver- 
age 5.35 and 3.67 inches, respectively, for these months. Crops in 
this region suffer to about the same extent from excess rainfall as 
from drought. Lines of equal rainfall, showing the decrease in 
annual precipitation from east to west, may be seen on the map. 
(See fig. 2.) 
1 "A phase of the type known as ' Elm Thicket ' land generally occupies level or 
gently sloping area paralleling the stream courses. It was originally covered by a 
dense timber growth, the greater percentage being elm. Though a few of these areas 
have never been cleared, the greater part has been cleared long enough to be free from 
stumps. This phase is considered a little more productive than the main body of the 
type. The soil is deep and very rich in organic matter." — Soil survey of Ellis County, 
Tex. Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, L T . S. Department of Agriculture, 1910. 
2 Bureau of Soils, TJ. S. Dept. Agr., Bui. 96, p. 251. 
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