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SOIL SURVEY OF DICKENS COUNTY, TEXAS 517
favorable conditions. Wheat and oats produce well, and if the
plants get a good start the yields are fair even in dry seasons. In
favorable seasons 15 to 25 bushels of wheat and 40 to 75 bushels of
oats are produced per acre. The soil is especially suited for corn,
cotton, and the grain sorghums.
This land is probably the most sought after of any soil. It sells
at the present time for about $50 to $75 an acre in improved farms,
and in especially favorable situations with good improvements the
price is higher. Plate XII, figure 2, shows field of cotton near Spur
that yielded 1 bale per acre.
MILLER VERY FINE SANDY LOAM
The Miller very fine sandy loam is a brownish-red very fine sandy
loam, underlain at about 12 inches by somewhat heavier purplishred
very fine sandy loam. The soil and subsoil are both highly
calcareous. In places the type as mapped includes patches of
Miller very fine sand and Miller fine sand or fine sandy loam.
Owing to the small extent of these soils they could not be shown
separately on the soil map. An area of Yahola fine sandy loam
occurring along the North Fork Wichita River was also included
with the type. This differs from the soils of the Miller series in
having a light sandy subsoil.
There are only a few small areas of the Miller very fine sandy
loam in the county. These occur in the eastern part as narrow
strips along the North Fork and South Fork of the Wichita River
and along Croton and Dove Creeks and some of their tributaries.
The surface is flat, and water runs off slowly, but it sinks rapidly
downward through the soil. Overflows are of rare occurrence,
though the surface lies only a few feet above the stream bed.
Probably not over 5 per cent of this land is in cultivation. It is
utilized in places for the production of grain sorghums, sorgo, and
Johnson grass as feed for ranch stock. The native growth includes
some mesquite trees, considerable sagebrush, some of the needle
grasses and grama grasses, and in places sedge grass. The land
affords excellent pasturage and is a very good soil for crops. Vegetables,
berries, and fruits would also do well, and alfalfa would
probably succeed.
MILLER CLAY LOAM
The Miller clay loam is a brownish-red clay loam about 8 inches
deep, underlain by purplish-red to brownish-red silty clay. Both soil
and subsoil are calcareous.
The type has only a small total area. It is developed in a few
narrow creek bottoms in the northern, northeastern, and southwestern
parts of the county. The surface is flat and drainage slow.
Overflows are very uncommon.
The type is cultivated on some farms, though probably not more
than half of it is in cultivation. It produces good yields of cotton,
corn, grain sorghums, and sorgo. The soil is doubtless well
suited to alfalfa. In its natural state it supports a growth of mesquite
trees and several of the more important short grasses.