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GIFT

Issued October 2, 1911.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

BUREAU OF SOILS— CIRCULAR No. 41.

MILTON WHITNEY, Chief of Bureau.

SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND THEIR USE-XII

THE WABASH CLAY.

JAY A. BONSTEEL,

Scientist in Soil Survey.

WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OPITOE.

1911.

BUEEAU OF SOILS.

Milton Whitney, Chief of Bureau.
Albert G. Rice, Chief Clerk,

SCIENTIFIC STAFF.

Frank K. Cameron, in charge of Physical and Chemical Investigations.
Cl^tis F. Marbut, in charge of Soil Survey.
Oswald Schbeineb, in charge of Fertility Investigations.
2

SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND THEIR USE— XIX.

THE WABASH CLAY.

GEOGRAPHICAL. DISTRIBUTION.

The Wabash clay is a widely distributed type of soil found in the
alluvial bottom lands of the Mississippi River and of its principal
tributaries. In the narrow bottom lands of the smaller streams the
individual areas of the type are usually small, but in the broad
bottoms of the Mississippi itself, and of its greater confluents, con-
siderable areas of the Wabash clay are frequently encountered in
single bodies. Areas of the type have been mapped in 23 different
soil-survey areas found in nine different States, and aggregating a
total of 419,915 acres.

T\Tierever the dark upland prairie soils are carried down into the
drainage channels of the principal rivers they are sorted out and
their coarsest particles deposited to form the loams and silt loams of
the bottoms. There will also be found areas where the silt, and
particularly the clay particles, have accumulated to constitute the
Wabash clay. Such areas may be encountered along all of the major
streams in the central prairie region and for long distances to the
southward along the lines of deposition, particularly of the Missis-
sippi River. Thus areas of the Wabash clay are encountered as far
east as Ohio, as far west as Nebraska, and from these regions south-
ward toward the Gulf of Mexico.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOIL AND SUBSOIL,.

The surface soil of the Wabash clay is a drab, dark-brown, or
black,, heavy clay loam, having an average depth of about 6 inches,
although not infrequently extending to a depth of 12 inches or more.
When wet this surface soil is a stiff, §ticky, plastic clay, which ad-
heres to the moldboard of the plow or to other tillage implements.
This surface soil will crack and granulate as the water evaporates,
forming large or small crevices, which sometimes have a depth of 4
or 5 inches and a width of one-fourth inch or more. In the areas in
which the content of finely divided organic matter is high, and where

2974° — H 3

4 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

there is also present a small but appreciable quantity of very fine
sand, the larger blocks and irregular masses of the surface soil are
cross checked during the process of evaporation, so that innumera-
ble small granular fragments are formed, which are frequently known
as " buckshot." This has given the popular name " buckshot land "
to large areas of the type in the more southern portions of the region
of its development. AVhere an abundance of finely divided organic
matter is lacking, and particularly where the surface soil consists
almost entirely of silt and clay, the sun cracking only proceeds to the
point of forming the larger irregular blocks, or at least only forms a
thin granulated layer at the surface. In the more northern areas
this land is known as " gumbo," while in the more southern areas it
is frequently called " beeswax " land. Both of these terms are also
applied to similar conditions in other soil types, but are more gen-
erally applied to the stiffer, more waxy areas of the AVabash clay.

The subsoil to a great depth is usually a stiff plastic yellow or
drab clay, which is very waxy when wet and which retains a large
amount of moisture, owing to its texture and its low-lying position,
during practically all of the summer season. In fact, it is not infre-
quently saturated with water at shallow depths. Usually there are
evidences of stratification in the subsoil, and the partings between
the layers of clay are then marked by thin sheets of very fine sand
or silt. "WTierever the soil and subsoil are thus laminated the forma-
tion of the " buckshot " is facilitated, since each thin layer forms
cracks and crevices by itself which do not adhere strongly to the next
underlying layer. Thus the sun cracking proceeds to considerable
depths and subdivides the soil into the finer granules, which renders
its cultivation much more easy and makes it more valuable for agri-
culture.

The Wabash clay may easily be distinguished from practically all
other soil types through its position in the lower lying areas of the
alluvial bottoms along the Mississippi River and its principal tribu-
taries; through its dark to almost black surface soil; through its
characteristic structure, giving rise either to the designation of
" gumbo " or " buckshot " land ; and through the fact that with possi-
bly one exception it is the stiffest, most plastic, and most adhesive
clay to be found in the alluvial bottoms. The only soil type with
which it might be confused is the Trinity clay, occurring in the. allu-
vial bottoms and upon the terraces along the principal rivers of east-
ern Texas, which is also a dark to black granular clay even more stiff
and plastic when wet than the Wabash clay, but characterized in its
deeper subsoil by the presence of calcareous nodules, and also
through its derivation from the black Cretaceous prairie soils of that
region as contrasted with the black, loessial upland soils from which
the Wabash clay is principally derived.

THE WABASH CLAY. g

SURFACE FEATURES AND DRAINAGE.

The Wabash clay occupies level or depressed areas within the
broader alluvial bottom lands. The arable areas of the type, in
general, are found in almost absolutely level tracts lying somewhat
back from the front lands along the main stream channels, and usu-
ally somewhat above the level of the lowest depressions found in
the bayous and hollows of the bottoms. In addition to this agricul-
turally available land included within the type, there are numerous
Jong, narrow areas of the Wabash clay to be found within the beds
of old bayous and in other depressions throughout the bottoms.
These latter areas are usually flooded each season. They retain an
excess of moisture until far into the summer and are consequently
not well suited to agricultural purposes in their natural condition.
It is within these latter areas that the characteristic " gumbo " soil
is also most frequently encountered. Such areas constitute the region
of deposition of the finest sediments carried by the overflow waters.

The range of the elevation of the surface of the Wabash clay varies
from 5 or G feet above sea level in the extreme southern portion of the
Mississippi Delta to altitudes of 800 or 1,000 feet or even more in
the upper drainage tributaries of the Mississippi. The Wabash clay
is usually from 5 to 15 feet above the normal level of the streams
along which it lies, and the type is consequently subject to frequent
overflow, unless artificially protected. Lying so near water level, it
is also frequently poorly drained, and this chara'cteristic is more
marked because of the stiff, tenacious, impervious nature of the heavy
clay subsoil. Thus the Wabash clay is difficult to bring under agri-
cultural occupation, and the expense involved in reclamation is
frequently heavy.

The Wabash clay is rarely subject to any form of erosion except
through the change in direction of the channels of the main streams,
which frequently erode their banl^s upon the convex curve to rede-
posit the materials at lower points in the flood plain. Erosion, how-
ever, is not a serious difficulty in connection with the tillage of the
Wabash clay, except in a few localities where open ditches and water
furrows are improperly constructed.

LIMITATIONS IN USE.

The stiff plastic character of the materials constituting the Wabash
clay presents serious difficulties in its tillage. Only in such areas as
granulate naturally while water is being evaporated from the surface
soil is it easy to secure the proper breaking and preparation of the
land. Even in such cases, and to a more marked degree in the dense
" gumbo " or " beeswax " soils, extreme care must be taken in plow-
ing the land to perform that operation when the ground is neither

p SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

too wet nor too dry. If the ground is plowed when there is too
great a proportion of moisture present in the surface soil the fur-
row turns over in a long shining slice of compacted clay, which it
is practically impossible to harrow and cultivate into condition for
the seeding or planting of crops. Great difficulty is also experienced
in turning over the soil in this condition, because of the adhesion of
clay to the surface of the moldboard. On the other hand, if the sur-
face soil is permitted to become too thoroughly dry before plowing
is attempted, the surface is merely broken into a succession of hard,
compacted lumps, which no harrowing or rolling is capable of crush-
ing sufficiently to form a granular seed bed. in good tilth for the
planting of the crop. Between these two extremes, however, there is
a considerable range of moisture content for the surface soil within
which tillage operations are fairly easy and the results obtained are
satisfactory for the planting of the crop. AMien properlj' plowed
and prepared, the surface soil rolls over in a friable, well-granulated
furrow, which requires little additional preparation. It is this char-
acteristic granulation, natural in some cases, induced by proper
handling in other cases, which gives the soil its popular name of
" buckshot land " and which renders it particularly valuable when in
this condition for the production of certain crops.

In addition to this textural and structural limitation upon the
preparation and use of the soil, its utility for crop production is de-
cidedly limited by the time and frequency of inundations. Even in
areas which are thoroughly protected by levees along the principal
streams, the freshet waters from included tributary streams not infre-
quently rise over the lower lying areas of the Wabash clay to a depth
of 2 or 3 feet, remaining at such a stage long past the proper period
for the planting of the crop.

Even after the overflow waters have subsided, some time is neces-
sary to permit the proper drying out of the surface soil, for tillage
operations must be undertaken when the soil contains the right
quantity of moisture to render these easy and effective. Moreover,
throughout a considerable proportion of the total area of the type
the water table, or zone of permanent saturation of the subsoil, is
near to the surface at all times throughout the growing season, and
any taprooted crops are injured or their production is prevented by
this condition.

Thus, through its inherent properties, through its liability to over-
flow, and through its defective subsoil drainage the agricultural
occupation of the Wabash clay is restricted to such areas as are in
the best natural mechanical condition, as are reasonably protected
from unseasonable overflow, and as are provided either with natural
or artificial subsoil drainage.

THE WABASH CLAY. 7

Very little attempt has been made in any of the areas where the
Wabash clay has been encountered in the soil surveys to produce
other than a few general farm crops. All tree fruits are eliminated
because of drainage conditions and because of the depressed position
of the Wabash clay, precluding also proper air drainage. The char-
acteristic stiff clay is also poorly suited to the production of small
fruits or early garden vegetables. Only the later market crops, such
as cabbages, tomatoes, and eggj^lant, may be produced to advantage
upon land of this nature. In consequence, the chief crops produced
upon the Wabash clay are corn and, to a limited extent, wheat in the
more northern areas, and cotton, rice, and sugar cane in all of the
more southern areas sufficiently protected from inundation.

IMPR0\'EMENT IN SOIL EFFICIENCY. .

Protection from inundation is the first requisite in the tillage of
additional areas of the Wabash clay. This is easily possible in many
instances through the construction of earth embankments or levees
which shall inclose and protect considerable areas of bottom lands,
including the Wabash clay and other valuable alluvial soils. Such
embankments have been constructed, not only in building the levees
which protect the Mississippi bottom lands from inundation, but also
for the agricultural occupation of the smaller areas along tribu-
tary streams in the more northern States. In all instances the won-
derful fertility of the Wabash clay where it is properly protected
from overflow has marked this soil type as one of those best repaying
the expense involved in the construction of such embankments. It is
probable that only the Wabash silt loam, which is generally associ-
ated with the Wabash clay, will better repay the establishment of
embankments and of drainage.

Frequently in providing protection for this and other alluvial
soils, broad earth embankments are built within the alluvial bottom
lands to such height as is required to exclude even the highest over-
flows. In the case of the smaller streams these embankments usually
do not need to be particularly massive. The top of the embankments
may be no more than 2 or 3 feet broad. In the case of the larger
streams and of all subject to wide fluctuations in water level broader
embankments are required, and in the case of the levees of the
Mississippi and its major tributaries embankments 20 to 30 feet high
are not infrequently built, sufficiently broad at the top to furnish an
excellent roadway along the levee. In each particular instance the
area of the land to be drained, its probable agricultural value when
reclaimed, the -cost of constructing and maintaining the levee, the
interest charge upon the investment, and the proximity of the area
either to transportation or to near-by markets must all he consid-
ered as economic factors which will influence the success or the failure

8 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

of the enterprise. ^Vhen in addition to the agricultural value of
such improvements their value to the health of the community through
the drainage of swamps is considered and the aid to the navigation
of rivers, thus restrained within their proper channels, is taken into
account, the reclamation of lands of this character, through proper
embankments and drainage, is seen to be very desirable. In the rec-
lamation of such lands, however, each particular case must be studied
both from an agricultural and from an engineering standpoint.

The complete drainage of areas of the Wabash clay, even in those
localities where proper protection from overflow has been provided,
is a serious problem. Very little effort has been made to install tile
underdrains in such areas, but sufficient has been done to show that
the stiff, plastic nature of the subsoil requires lines of tile laid at no
great distance from each other and at a' considerable depth, in order
properly to lower the water table. In fact it is a general opinion
among those who have attempted to drain soil of this character in
connection with their farming operations that frequent open ditches
are fully as effective in the removal of surface water and in the
lowering of the subsoil water as the more expensive tile-drain sys-
tems. Thousands of acres of the Wabash clay have been drained
with good results through the establishment of open ditches. Owing
to the position of this soil somewhat below the level of the front
lands, and usually intervening between these and the deeper sloughs
to the rear, this surface drainage is not infrequently effected through
open ditches which empty, not into the main stream, but into the
.sloughs or deeper depressions to the rear of the type. Through the
adoption of this practice a gentle slope, which does not give rise to
the erosion of the bottom or the sides of the ditches, is obtained, and
any difficulty with culverts or carrying the ditches across main high-
ways or with the outflow of these ditches through embankments or
levees is obviated. In general, it is recommended that ojjen ditches
be used rather than tile drains, and that wherever possible the grade
of these ditches be sufficiently low to prevent erosion, but sufficiently
steep to give thorough surface soil drainage. It is frequently possi-
ble to dig these ditches in the form of broad, shallow excavations
which will not interfere seriously with communication between the
tilled areas separated by the depressions. Such ditch forms have
two advantages over the steep-sided narrow open ditch frequently
used. In the first place, less labor is required to keep the ditch open,
since this can be done by horsepower and the use of a slip scra^Der.
In the second place, little or no damage results from erosion of the
banks and the caving in of soil to obstruct the flow of water. As an
additional advantage, communication between different portions of
the field is not interrupted, as has been noted.

THE WABASH CLAY. 9

In practically all areas where it occurs the surface soil of the
Wabash clay is well provided with partly decayed and finely divided
organic matter. In some areas this is not evident, principally
through the fact that the surface soil has been waterlogged and
sealed against the action of the atmosphere to such a degree that the
organic matter has only passed through the first stages of decom-
position and has not been thoroughly subdivided and disintegrated
to be incorporated as an inherent part of the soil itself. In many
instances the clearing away of rank vegetation, the opening of the
surface soil to the sunlight, and the action of the atmosphere will
change the drab or yellowish surface soil material to the brown or
black loamy " buckshot land " after a few seasons of proper drainage
and cultivation. Through this process of drainage and aeration the
natural preparation of the surface soil for crop production is aided
and the land is not infrequently changed from stiff waxy "gumbo"
to granular, friable, tillable fields. Wherever difficulty is experi-
enced in this transition the addition of coarse strawy manures, the
plowing under of a rank growth of vegetation, or any other method
which will aid in the loosening and granulating of the surface soil is
desirable. In some instances the application of lime has been par-
ticularly effective in inducing the granulation necessary to the easy
tillage of the type.

LIMITATIONS UPON SPECIAL CROPS.

The Wabash clay has been little used for the production of special-
crops. Wherever it is so situated that local markets are available,
particularly in the more northern areas, the Wabash clay constitutes
an excellent soil for the production of cabbage. The yields of large,
firm heads are heavy, the crop is easily tended, and usually profitable.
It is only upon well-drained areas protected from overflow that the
production of this or any other late market-garden crop is possible.
Because of textural and drainage peculiarities, the production of
other special crops upon the Wabash clay is practically eliminated.

EXTENT or OCCUPATION.

Only a small percentage of the total area of the Wabash clay
has been cleared and brought under cultivation because of the diffi-
culties experienced from poor drainage and from inundation. It is
only in those areas where levee systems have been installed, most
extensive in the Southern States, that large areas of the Wabash
clay have been tilled. In these sections the construction of adequate
levees to protect the bottom lands from overflow and to maintain
navigation have rendered possible the cultivation of the type. Even
in such areas only the higher lying portions, which are first uncov-
ered by the receding of the waters, are annually tilled. Other addi-
tional areas are tilled in such seasons as are marked by the early

10 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

recession of the water or by unusually low stages in the overflow.
In the more northern sections the area annually devoted to crop pro-
duction is extremely variable, since the farmers can plant or sow their
crops upon the Wabash clay only in favorable seasons. Thus the
area of the Wabash clay occupied in any one season may be greatly
increased or decreased, depending upon the flood-water stages of those
rivers flowing through areas of the type. In general, however, at-
tempts have been made at cultivation of probably 20 to 25 per cent of
the total area of the type. The larger proportion of this arable land
lies in the more southern States, particularly in Louisiana and in
Mississippi, where the levee systems are most complete. It is in these
States that the farm and plantation dwellings and the dwellings for
the tenants and hands employed upon the plantations are built within
the area of the alluvial bottoms. In practically all of the more
northern areas the type is unoccupied as a place of residence, or even
for the storage of crops, because of the danger from overflows. Even
in the leveed districts occasional overflows drive the inhabitants to
adjoining uplands until the waters have subsided.

Increased areas of the Wabash clay may be occupied for agri-
cultural purposes through the formation of drainage or levee districts,
or through the united efi^orts of those farmers who own property in
any particular stretch of bottom land. It is usually only through
some such cooperative method that particular areas of the type may
be reclaimed. The heavy yields secured from this and the associated
types of the alluvial bottoms frequently justify an expense for the
establishment and maintenance of engineering works which would
not be justified for the improvement of upland soils. Thus there
remain thousands of acres of the Wabash clay and its chief associate,
the Wabash silt loam, awaiting a sufficient demand for land and the
proper organization and application of capital to become valuable
agricidtural territory.

CROP ADAPTATIONS.

The crop adaptations of the Wabash clay vary with the climatic
conditions of the different areas. In all of the Northern States corn
constitutes the staple crop upon those areas which are tilled. Wher-
ever protection from overflow and proper drainage are obtained the
corn yields are heavy. In certain areas yields ranging from 40 to 75
bushels per acre are reported as the customary crop in years when
the com fields are not destroyed or injured by overflow. In many
such areas corn has been raised from 10 to 20 years in succession upon
the same land without appreciable diminution in the yield except
through accident. In nearh^ all areas where corn has been planted
upon the type, minimum yields are reported in excess of 30 to 35
bushels, while maximum yields reach the unusually high figure of 60
to 75 bushels. Local drainage and the seasonal precipitation may
cause wide variations between these extremes. It would be difficult

THE WABASH CLAY. 11

to establish a normal or average corn yield for the type even in the
more northern States, since the Wabash clay, when properly pro-
tected and handled, is capable of producing yields in excess of 60
bushels per acre, and any yields falling much below that amount may
be directly attributed to some accidental local or seasonal peculiarity.

In the Southern States corn is produced to a considerable extent
upon the Wabash clay in association with the cotton crop. The
yields obtained from this soil type frequently exceed those reported
from any other soils in the Southern States. Throughout the Yazoo
Delta, in Mississippi, and the alluvial bottom lands on the west bank
of the Mississippi River, in Louisiana, corn yields of 40 to 50 bushels
per acre are not infrequent, while the yields from upland soils range
from 8 to 20 bushels. Thus, in all localities where it occurs and
where it is properly protected, the Wabash clay is an extremely pro-
ductive and very valuable corn soil.

In some of the northern areas, particularly those which have been
artificially protected, wheat is sown, usually a spring crop. Yields
vary greatly, but are normally heavy. The minimum yields stated in
the various soil survey reports approximate 20 bushels per acre, while
maximum yields of 40 bushels have been reported. The quality of
the wheat is fair, with a strong tendency toward a rank growth of
straw somewhat at the expense of the formation of grain. Undoubt-
edly, with proper protection and drainage, the Wabash clay would
constitute a very valuable spring-wheat soil of limited extent through-
out the Central States.

Oats are also raised, but only in small areas. The jdelds are good,
ranging from 40 to 60 bushels. The crop has the same tendency as
wheat toward straw development.

Considerable areas of the Wabash clay are devoted to the produc-
tion of grass. Timothy and redtop make excellent growth, while
upon all areas where the water table is 2 feet or more below the sur-
face clover is grown successfully. Yields of timothy ranging from
2 to 3 tons per acre are reported. The type ranks as an excellent
grass soil. In addition to the tame grasses sown in cultivated fields,
considerable areas of the type are annually utilized for the cutting of
marsh grass and other wild grasses, with excellent yields of 1| to 2
tons per acre. Even the forested areas are utilized for summer pas-
ture. In all of the open glades and throughout portions of the forest
wild grasses make good growth and furnish a succulent and abundant
pasturage. In the more southern States the switch cane grows luxu-
riantly, particularly near the sloughs and bayous, occupying some
portion of the type. Cattle are grazed to a limited extent upon this
forage during the fall and winter. The wild grasses are almost
lacking in these areas.

It is in the Southern States, however, that the principal agricul-
tural use is made of the Wabash clay. In Mississippi and in Loui-

12 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

siana every available acre of the Wabash clay not subject to unusual
overflow is utilized for cotton production. Small acreages of com
are sometimes produced upon the type at the various plantations.
With possibly one exception there is no other soil in the Southern
States so well suited to the production of cotton as the Wabash clay.
This one exception is the Trinity clay, which in many characteristics
is similar to the Wabash clay. When the surface of the Wabash clay
is first cleared from the dense hardwood forest and cotton is planted,
the first year's crop produces an abundant growth of the plant and a
feeble fruitage of cotton bolls. On account of the moist, shaded con-
dition of the land very few of these bolls mature at a sufficiently
early date to escape the autumn frosts and only limited amounts of
cotton may actually be picked during the first season. With some-
thing of a diminution, the same is true of the second season, but
usually by the third season of cultivation a fair to heavy cotton crop
may be expected, which is maintained, except under accidental cir-
cumstances, for many succeeding years. Thus it is usually a matter
of some two or three years to subdue and bring the areas of the
Wabash clay to their most productive state.

After the Wabash clay has been properly brought under cultiva-
tion through the clearing of the land, the aeration of the surface soil,
and the proper tillage of the type, it is capable of maintaining a
strong producing capacity for the cotton crop. Yields of less than
one-half bale per acre are abnormally low. Yields of three-fourths
bale to 1 bale per acre are cormnon, while yields as high as 2 to 2J
bales per acre have been repeatedly reported. Moreover, upon many
of the fields occupied by the Wabash clay cotton has been raised un-
interruptedly for 50 years or more without any serious or even appre-
ciable decrease in the crop returns and without any resort to the
use of commercial fertilizers. There have been variations, of course,
in the yields from year to year due to climatic causes and to the
efficiency with which the crop has been worked, but in general, taking
the record of the Wabash clay in the Southern States as a cotton pro-
ducing soil, it may be said that the type is capable of producing an-
nually, after it is first subdued, a crop of one-half bale per acre or
more, and that this rate of production will be maintained, so far as
any influence of the soil itself is concerned, through long periods of
time without recourse to artificial fertilization.

There is one recent limitation upon the production of cotton on
the Wabash clay which is causing some concern to the planters in
Louisiana and Mississippi. This is the advent of the boll weevil.
Owing to the fact that the cotton grown upon the Wabash clay re-
quires a long season to attain maturity, the earlier maturing va-
rieties are not so well suited to production upon this type as those
of longer growing period. A considerable part of the effectiveness
of the contest against the boll weevil upon all upland soils has

THE WABASH CLAY. 13

undoubtedly arisen from the fact that early maturing varieties of
cotton could be grown which would produce at least some part of a
crop before the cotton was seriously affected by the weevil. This
expedient of growing early maturing varieties is not nearly so appli-
cable in controlling the weevil on the alluvial bottom soils, and par-
ticularly upon the heavy clay types like the Wabash and the Trinity
clay. In consequence, other methods of combating the weevil must
be devised for this and similar soil types. It may be possible that,
at least temporarily, considerable proportions of the acreage of the
Wabash clay in the cotton-growing States may need to be devoted to
other crops than cotton. For this purpose com is suggested as one
of the best crops. The yields are high, and if varieties suited to the
climatic conditions are selected 40, 50, and even 60 bushels per acre
may be anticipated where the crop is given proper tillage. With the
prevailing high prices of corn in the almost exclusively cotton-grow-
ing regions, where this type occurs, the crop should become decidedly
profitable and able to compete even with cotton as a great staple
crop. Where irrigation facilities are available in these southern
communities rice may be grown upon the Wabash clay to excellent
advantage. The production of this crop would require some outlay
for the proper embankment of the fields to provide for flooding,
and in many instances would also require the establishment of pump-
ing machinery to draw water from adjacent rivers or bayous for
flooding the land. The existence of artesian wells of considerable
capacity in many of the bottom-land areas should in certain localities
provide a cheap and feasible method for the irrigation of the rice
fields.

In the regions south of Baton Rouge, in the Mississippi Delta, the
Wabash clay constitutes one of the best sugar cane soils of the sec-
tion. The sugar cane yields from 25 to 30 tons per acre, and is even
more valuable than cotton as a staple crop for production upon this
type. Climatic limitations alone prevent the considerable extension
of cane growing to the northward upon the Wabash clay.

In the vicinity of New Orleans large areas of the Wabash clay are
used for the production of market-garden crops, particularly egg
plant, tomatoes, and cabbages. Additional areas, somewhat more
remote from the city, are utilized for the production of grass to sup-
port a flourishing dairy industry.

It has been abundantly proved through the efforts of individual
planters, and particularly of the Louisiana Experiment Station at
Baton Rouge, that the Wabash clay is well suited to the production of
alfalfa. There is a very necessary limitation, however, upon the
production of this crop. Alfalfa is a taprooted plant which sends
the main root rapidly to considerable depths into the soil and subsoil
wherever conditions are favorable. Consequently only those areas
of the Wabash clay may be selected for alfalfa production where the

14 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

normal water level exists at a depth of 3 feet or more below the sur-
face, and where, in addition, the surface of the type is not subject to
inundation. It may be broadly stated that if other areas are chosen
for seeding to alfalfa the crop will suffer damage and ultimate de-
struction through the rapid penetration of the taproot into the satu-
rated subsoil, and that the stand of the field will be approximately
one year for each foot in depth to the water table. Of course, there
are variations and modifications of this generalization.

In addition to alfalfa, Bermuda grass, white clover, and lespedeza
all grow luxuriantly upon this type and are excellent grasses, both to
be cut for hay or to be grazed off by work stock or dairy animals.
The crab grass which infests many of the cotton fields is also valuable
for grazing purposes and may be cut for hay. It is usually considered
a nuisance upon all cotton plantations, and its introduction into any
area is not to be recommended. The other grasses are generally to be
preferred either for the production of hay or for grazing.

It is thus seen that for certain staple crops and, to a limited extent,
for market-garden crops the properly protected and drained areas of
the Wabash clay are exceedingly A^aluable. Although the type is of
somewhat limited extent, those areas which are under cultivation have
established for themselves a high reputation for the production of
corn, spring wheat, and grass in the northern areas, and for the pro-
duction of cotton and sugar cane in the southern localities where they
occur. In addition to the staple crops enumerated, grass grows luxu-
riantly upon the type in all of the areas where it occurs. Under cer-
tain restricted conditions, alfalfa, Bermuda grass, lespedeza, clover,
timothy, and redtop all furnish remunerative haj'^ yields. Thus the
Wabash clay within its natural limitations is an extremely fertile and
valuable type of soil. Its cash valuations vary widely from the $5 or
$6 an acre, at which undrained and unprotected forest areas may be
bought, to $100 or even $200 an acre, at which the thoroughly pro-
tected areas suitable for cotton and cane production are held.

SUMMARY.

The Wabash clay is an important and widely distributed alluvial
soil found within the flood plains of the Mississippi River and of its
major tributaries.

The surface soil is a black, waxy or granulated clay, the former
being known as " gumbo " and the latter as " buckshot " land. The
subsoil is a yellow or drab plastic clay, frequently laminated and
universally very retentive of moisture.

The Wabash clay occupies level areas and slight depressions usually
to the rear of the lands fronting along the main rivers. It is sub-
ject to frequent overflow in all areas except those protected by levees
and even then the back-set waters from tributary drainages not infre-
quently submerge the surface of the type for considerable periods
in the spring months.

THE WABASH CLAY. 15

Owing to its fine texture, its low-lying position, and lack of natural
drainage only small areas of the Wabash clay are cultivated in the
more northern States, while a larger proportion of the type is culti-
vated in the leveed districts, particularly in Mississippi and Loui-
siana. The remainder of the type is chiefly forested to hardwoods
with an undergrowth of wild grasses in the Northern States and of
switch cane and saw palmetto in the southern latitudes.

Corn is the principal crop produced upon the Wabash clay in all
of the northern areas, yields ranging from 30 to 75 bushels per acre.
Spring wheat is also grown wherever possible, with yields of from
20 to 40 bushels to the acre. Oats are produced to a limited extent
and yield heavy crops.

In the Southern States the Wabash clay is one of the best of the
alluvial bottom-land soils for the production of cotton, which averages
yields in excess of one-half bale per acre, with not infrequent crops of
1 bale per acre over considerable areas. Yields of 2 bales per acre
have occasionally been reported. These crops are produced without
the use of commercial fertilizers. Only a small portion of the type is
planted to corn in these localities, but where this crop is grown the
returns range from 30 to 50 bushels per acre.

South of Baton Rouge sugar cane is the most important crop,
yielding from 25 to 30 tons per acre. Rice is grown to a limited
extent, and large areas of the type still unreclaimed may be devel-
oped into valuable rice soil by the erection of proper embankments
and the installation of irrigation machinery.

The only improvement necessary to bring large additional areas
under cultivation is the construction of proper embankments or
levees, together with the establishment of adequate drainage, prefer-
ably through open-ditch systems. The cost of such reclamation is
high, but the fertility of the soil and its excellent adaptation to the
production of some of the most valuable staple crops will make such
investment profitable.

The Wabash clay is an excellent grass soil in practically aril of the
localities where it occurs. In the northern regions timothy, redtop,
and the clovers give large yields upon protected and well-drained
areas, while in similar locations in the south alfalfa;, white clover,
Bermuda grass, and lespedeza prove valuable crops.

Probably not more than 25 per cent of the total extent of the
Wabash clay is now reclaimed and under cultivation, and vast areas
of this valuable type are yet to be developed.

Approved.

James Wilson,

Secretar-y of Agriculture.

Washington, D. C, July IJ^^ 1911.

APPENDIX,

)asm clay

The following table shows the extent of the Wabasm clay in the areas surveyed
to the present time. In the first column appears the particular survey in which
the soil was encountered; in the second column, its extent in acres; and in the
third column, the volume of the Field Operations of tbe Bureau of Soils, in
which the report upon the area may be found. Those desiring a detailed descrip-
tion of the soil, and of the general conditions which surround it in any particu-
lar area, may consult these volumes in almost any public library.

Areas of Wabash clay encountered in the soil survey.

Survey.

Area of soil.

Year of
publication,

Field
Operations.

Illinois:

Clinton County '

Johnson County i

O' Fallon area, Mo. '

St. Clair County i

Tazewell County '

Kansas:

Allen County *

I'arsons area

Louisiana:

East and West Carroll Parishes

East Baton Rouge Parish i

New Orleans area >

Tangipahoa Parish

Mississippi:

Holmes County

Smedes area •

Yazoo area'

Missouri:

Atchison County

Cooper County

O'Fallon area '

Putnam Coimty

Saline County >

Scotland County

Nebraska:

Sarpy County

North Dakota:

Carrington area

Ohio:

Wooster area

Oklahoma:

Tishomingo area

Acres.

5,376

1,664

6,976

26,944

13,696

5,299
31,808

85,120
13, 824
18,368

28,544
37,760
45,080

14,272
2,176

24,960
1,728

28,544
4,672

3,648

3,328

1,216

6,016

1902
1903
1904
1902
1902

1904
1903

1908
1905
1903
1905

1908
1902
1901

1909
1909
1904
1906
1904
1905

1905

1905

1904

1906

Mapped as Yazoo clay.

2 Mapped as Sharkey clay.

16

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