Texas Almanac, 1954-1955 Page: 188
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Basis of Texas Agriculture--Texas Soils
On the surface of Texas are about 13 sell
series, which may be broken down into about
500 soil types. Soils for practically every type
of crop are found. In nonscientific terms they
may be classed in six soil groups: (1) The
heavy coastal clays and alluvial soils, includ-
ing the river bottoms extending into the in-
terior of the state in many instances. (2) The
sandy and sandy clay soils of the East Texas
Timber Belt. (3) The limestone soils of the
Blacklands, Grand Prairie, Edwards Plateau
and portions of the Trans-Pecos which vary
greatly in fertility according to amount and
quality of topsoil. (4) The area of mottled
red and gray loam soils in North Central
Texas. (5) The sandy and sandy loam soils of'
the High Plains. (6) The rough stony land of
the Trans-Pecos and areas of Southwest Texas.
Texans have been slow to realize that the
apparent abundant soil resources discovered
by the pioneer could easily be dissipated. As
a farming people from the Old South they put
into cultivation much land that should have
been reserved for livestock. They were slow
to realize that pasture land is in need of soil
conservation methods.
Added to this early misunderstanding was
the susceptibility of Texas soils to deteriora-
tion in many areas. Most Texas soils are rela-
tively thin. The topography is rolling to hilly.
The weather, with characteristically long dry
periods alternating and heavy rain storms,
contributes to erosion. Overgrazing and wind
erosion have taken much topsoil in the west-
ern part of the state. In the eastern part,
one-crop cotton farming contributed to both
robbing the soil of its fertility and causing
its erosion.
Approximately 11,000,000 acres, largely crop-
lands, have been badly damaged, according to
the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. An addi-
tional 50,000,000 acres of crop and grazing
lands have lost 25 per cent of their topsoil.
A soil conservation program was initiated
in Texas in 1910 when the Agricultural and
Mechanical College began an educational
campaign. There had been prior individual
effort. Howard Duke of Newton County ter-
raced his farm in 1882, the first recorded
attempt at soil conservation in this state.
Until approximately 1930, soil conservation
in Texas was carried on primarily through
terracing farm lands to prevent erosion. Until
the entry of the Federal Government Soil
Conservation Service into the work, the pro-
gram was carried 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 ter-
raced.
In recent years, the basis of the soil con-
servation program has been the use of agri-
cultural land according to its capabilities and
the treatment of each acre according to its
needs. The state-wide integrated program is
directed by the United States Soil Conserva-
tion Service, operating in accordance with a
state law, and with the co-operation of the
A&M Extension Service.
Federal-State Program
For administrative purposes Texas is part
of the Western Gulf Region of the Soil Con-
servation Service. The region also includes
Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Head-
quarters are in Fort Worth. Louis P. Merrill
is regional director. Paul H. Walser is state
conservationist. The state office is in Temple.
The Soil Conservation Service carries on
the major part of its work through soil con-
servation districts. The districts are legal
subdivisions of the State Government. The
authority of the Soil Conservation Districts
Act was passed by the Texas Legislature in
1939. A State Soil Conservation Board of fivemembers administers the law. (See p. 329 for
board membership.)
On Jan. 1, 1953, there were 166 soil con-
servation districts in Texas. They covered
156,522,100 acres and represented 92.8 per cent
of the state's land area. Through their dis-
trict organizations the operators of 137,931
Texas farms and ranches covering 67,289,091
acres were applying co-ordinated soil conser-
vation programs.
While croplands have drawn most of the
public attention in the matter of soil cbon-
servation, it is a fact that there are fn e
acres of grazing lands in Texas for every acre
of cropland. Up to the summer of 1953, range
conservation practices had been applied on
19,000,000 acres. These practices include range
reseeding, keeping livestock and forage in
proper balance, control of woody vegetation.
and the proper distribution of water facilities
An extensive program has been conducted
also in the rapidly increasing (rrigated area
of Texas, and up to mid-1953, scientific meth-
ods of irrigation had been introduced on
1,214,000 acres. These have been effective in
decreasing labor costs, cutting down amounts
of water needed and increasing yields. In-
creased irrigation efficiency in some instances.
notably in the Pecos Valley, has resulted in
cutting in half the amount of water needed
for a given acreage to produce a given result
In the coastal areas, where the surface is
level, the rainfall heavy and the soils are
usually clays, a program of conservation
through better drainage practices has been
carried out. Up to early 1953, these drainage
practices had been Initiated on 234,600 acres,.
largely in the coastal area. A survey shows
that an additional 2,750,000 acres of fertile
lands would benefit from better drainage.
Most of the work of the Soil Conservation
Service is carried on through the districts.
but It also engages independently in (1) con-
servation research, (2) operation of nurseries
to produce grass, legume and other seeds
that are not in sufficient commercial supply to
meet conservation needs and (3) management
of certain publicly owned tracts known as
land utilization projects. These land utiliza-
tion projects are composed of lands that have
been made submarginal by improper cultiva-
tion. Such projects are situated at Bonham.
Canadian, Dalhart, Decatur, Ladonla, McLean,
Perryton, Tulia and Umbarger. A nursery is
situated near San Antonio.
Research is carried on in co-operation with
the Texas Experiment substations at Waco.
Amarillo, Temple, Weslaco and Brownfield
Co-operative research is also carried on with
the U S. Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and
Agricultural Engineering.
River Basin Program
A program of water run-off and detardation
is also carried on under authorization of Con-
gress in 1944. Part of the program is aimed
at flood control and soil erosion prevention in
the middle Colorado and Trinity watersheds
Begun in 1946, this program is reducing flood
damages to crops, land and other agricultural
property on bottomland farms and also re-
ducing sedimentation of reservoirs, stream
channels and-harbors. On Jan. 1, 1953, twenty
detention reservoirs had been constructed in
the Trinity River watershed and three others
in the watershed of the Middle Colorado
River.
At the end of 1952 watershed surveys of the
Brazos River, Trinity River and San Jacinto
River, including a re-survey of the Upper
Trinity watershed, and a survey of the San
Antonio River watershed had been completed
by the Soil Conservation Service. Similar sur-
veys were under way on the Red River.
Sabine-Neches and Colorado River watersheds
including a review of the Middle Colorado
River survey which previously had been made.
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Texas Almanac, 1954-1955, book, 1953; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117168/m1/190/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.