Texas Almanac, 1945-1946 Page: 174
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74 TEXAS ALMANAC -1945-1946.
Principal Reservoirs of Texas.-(Continued.)
TARRANT -Lake Eagle Mountain; Trinity R. Tarrant Co. Wtr. Imp Dist. 1;
11 0 m NW Fort Worth ... .M-I-R 210,000
TAYLOR.-Lake Abilene; Elm Cr ; City of Abilene; 20 0 m. SW. Albilene..... M-I- 245,000
TAYLOR -Lake Kirby; Cedar Cr.; City of Abilene. 4.5 m. S. Abilene ...............M-I 8,500
TAYLOR-Lake Lytle, Lytle Cr , West Texas Utilities Co 3 0 m SE. Abilene ...... P 6,500
TAYLOR-JONES -Lake Fort Phantom Hill, Big Elm Cr , city Abilene; 12 5 m.
NE Abilene .................. .....................M 73,960
THROCKMORTON -Lake Throckmorton; City of Throckmorton, 1 m. S. Throckmorton.M 1,675
TITUS -Mount Pleasant Reservoir, Harts Cr.; City of Mount Pleasant; 1.5 m.
N. Mount Pleasant.. ....M 1,176
TOM GREEN -Lake Nasworthy; Concho R.; Concho Wtr. Devi. Co.; 6.0 m.
SW San Angelo....................................... P0
TOM GREEN -Concho R., Texas Game, Fish, Oyster Comm.; 4.5 m. S. San Angelo F-H 10,1507
TRAVIS-Marshall Ford Lake, or Lake Travis; Colorado R.; Lwr. Colorado R.
Authority, 18 0 m. NW. Austin *.......M-P-I 1,963,000
TRAVIS -Lake Austin; Colorado R.; Lower Colorado R. Authority; 3.0 m.
W Austin .......... ................ M-P-I 21,500
VAL VERDE -Lake Walk; Devil's R ; Central Pwr. & Lt. Co.; 51. m. NW. DelRio..P 3,500
VAL VERDE -Lake Hamilton, Devil's R.; Central Pwr. & Light Co.; 50.0 m.
NW Del Rio .......................P 45,700
WEBB.-San Ildefonso Cr.; S N Johnson, 6.0 m. SE. Laredo... ....... ......I 1,240
WEBB -Becerro Cr, H B O'Keefe, 12 0 m SE Laredo .............................I 1,837
WEBB -Manadas Cr , Francisco Farias, 6 0 m N Laredo........... ........... I 3,000
WICHITA.-Lake Wichita; Holiday Cr , City Wichita Falls, 6 0 m. SW. Wichita Falls M 13,500
WILBARGER -Beaver Cr , Santa Rosa Water Co ; 17 5 m SE Vernon.............. I 7,000
WISE -Lake Bridgeport; Trinity R , Tarrant Wtr. Con. Imp. Dist. 1; 4.0 m.
NW. Bridgeport ... ............. .............. ..............M-I 290,000
YOUNG -Lake Graham; Flint Cr., City of Graham; 3 0 m. N. Graham.............M 4,503
ZAPATA -Salado Cr, Everett Love, 22.0 mn. N Zapata. ................... .... I 4,800
ZAVALA -Nueces R , Zavala-Dimmit Co W.I D No. 1, 20 0 m. SW. Batesville I 7,590
*Abbreviations under "Purposes" indicate as follows I for irrigation and industrial, M for munici-
pal supply, P for power, R for recreation, C for conservation
Texas Soil Resources- ConservationAbove the varied geologic structures of
Texas is a corresponding diversity of 'soils,
laid down by ages of erosion and surface
shifting. There are about 130 soil series with
approximately 500 soil types, according to
Dr. W. T. Carter of the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station. (See pp 176-177.) In his
bulletin, The Soils of Texas, published by
the Texas Experiment Station, he writes.
"The soils of this state range through
every textural class and are of many colors
and combinations of colors, and the struc-
tural characteristics are numerous and varied.
The productive capacities and crop adapta-
tions of the soils vary greatly . . Many of
them, found in no other part of the United
States . . . are of widely differing charac-
teristics and features . . . The soils of the
state differ in characteristics according to
the character of the parent-materials, climate
and other environmental factors. Soil-devel-
oping processes differ in the various regions;
accordingly, great regional soil differences
exist, as well as local differences."
Soil Utilization.
Texas' economic dependence has been
largely upon its agricultural industries Soils
have been its greatest resources. Soil utili-
zation for the production of both crops and
native vegetation, notably grasses (see p.
154), yielded nearly all of the Texas income
until the beginning of the present century,
and, even today, the agricultural industries
are basic in their relatively larger direct and
indirect contributions to the livelihood of the
people.
Out of a total land area of 168,732,160 acres
(revised figure of Census Bureau), there were
33,018,833 acres in cultivation and fallow lands
in Texas, according to the census of 1940.
Just how much cultivable land remains in
raw state in Texas is not shown by the cen-
sus. There are 13,242,974 acres of "plowable
pasture," according to the census, but there
is no indication of the amount of woodland
adaptable to cultivation when cleared of tim-
bers. It has been estimated that the total
area of cultivable lands of Texas is approxi-
mately 50,000,000 acres, including first and
secondary lands. This is approximately 30
per cent of the total land area of the state
and about 36 per cent of the total area of
137,683,372 acres in farms.
Soil Erosion and Depletion.
Despite the vital importance of soil re-
sources to Texas' economic welfare, therehas been considerable decline in many parts
of the state because of one-cropping (espe-
cially with cotton) and erosion. The rolling
topography of much of Texas and the pre-
cipitate character of the rainfall during most
of the year have added to the problem of
soil conservation. Over wide areas the top-
soils are fertile but thin and in some regions
the character of the soil adds to the problem
of erosion prevention.
A survey several years ago by the Soil
Conservation Service of the United States
Department of Agriculture indicated that
nearly all of the farm lands of Texas, crop
and pasture, have suffered in some degree
from soil erosion and depletion. About 11,-
000,000 acres were classed as badly damaged
while more than 50,000 acres were classed
as having lost approximately 25 per cent of
topsoil by wind or water erosion.
Early Soil Conservation Work.
Advocacy of soil conservation began in
Texas about 1882, when a Newton County
farmer, Duke Howard, terraced his farm. It
was twenty years later, however, before ter-
racing received appreciable attention, even in
East Texas where lands had been longest in
cultivation.
Educational programs were begun about
1910 under auspices of the Texas Farmers
Co-operative Demonstration Work which later
became the extension service of the Agricul-
tural and Mechanical College of Texas. In
1911 the teaching of soil conservation by
A. k M. College, at the college and in the
field, was authorized by the State Legisla-
ture. Terracing and other forms of conserva-
tion work became a permanent part of the
A. & M. College program In 1916.
Soil Conservatior Program.
In its earlier development, until approxi-
mately 1930, soil conservation in Texas was
carried on primarily through terracing farm
lands to prevent erosion. Until the entry of
the Federal Government's Soil Conservation
Service into the work, the program was car-
ried forward exclusively under direction of
the Extension Service of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Texas through its
County Farm Demonstration Agents. Under
this program between 6,000,000 and 7,000,000
acres of farm lands were terraced.
In more recent years, the basis of the soil
conservation program has been broadened to
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Texas Almanac, 1945-1946, book, 1945; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117166/m1/176/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.