VOL. 1
College Station, Texas, Thursday, April 10, 1919
No. 130
TEXAS GEOLOGY
DISCUSSED BY
RANDOLPH
REPORT IS MADE TO SCIENCE
SEMINAR ON MEETING OF
PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS
AT DALLAS
In his talk before this week’s ses-
sion of the Science Seminar, Dr. E.
E. Randolph of the Chemistry de-
partment of the College gave a re-
view of the recent meeting of the Am-
erican Association of Petroleum Ge-|
. ologists which he attended in Dallas,
and took up some of the questions
discussed there, especially those hav-
ing to do with Texas conditions.
The speaker told of the activities of
the geologists in connection with the
oil industry of Texas. He said a great
number of people seemed to think the
profession of geology = consisted of
the “magic il men who are noth-
ing but wholesale tricksters. But on
the contrary, he said, the geologist
uses expert methods in his field de-
termination, and is as thorough going
as any other engineer, the only dif-
ference being that his problems are
often very much involved.
The larger oil companies employ a
staff of geologists, Dr. Randolph said,
Cand consequently are operated on a
sound basis, for under geological
investigations the certainty of secur-
ing producing wells is about 70 per
cent on an average
The wild-cat operator is successful in
getting a well only once out of 35 or
37 attempts. As a sidelight on this
wild-cat scramble for fortune Dr.
Randolph said he had it on good auth-
for the state. !
|
DIVISION OF RESEARCH
ISLARGER AID TO
F ARNER PLANNED
IN
FARM AND RANCH ECONOM-
ICS ESTABLISHED BY EX.
PERIMENT STATION
ELIOT TO BE IN CHARGE
Farm Economist of Extension Sery-
ice Will Take up Far-Reaching
Work With Station May 1—
Attends Conference
To carry on what President Bizzell
and Director Youngblood believe is
one of the most far-reaching bits of |
service to the farmers and ranchmen
of the state that has ever been under-
taken by the College or by any of its
departments, H. M. Eliot, farm econo-
mist of the Extension Service, has
been transferred to the Experiment
Station where he will be chief of the
division of farm and ranch economies
with the title of agricultural econo-
mist, according to an announcement by
President Bizzell yesterday.
In his new position Mr. Eliot will
study the larger problems of farms
and ranches in Texas and the benefit
of his research along these lines will
be made available to the farmers and
ranchmen of the state and nation, just
as is the case with the results of in-
vestigations into the problems of pro-
duction in agricultural and livestock
products, Mr. Youngblood announced.
But whereas the Experiment Sta.
tion has concerned itself largely here-
tofore with the problem of production,
Mr. Eliot’s work will be to help the
farmer and ranchman make a larger
success of their business financially |
ority that the combined capitalization | through helping them arrive at the
of the organized oil companies of just
two states, Wyoming and Colorado,
was so great that the petroleum pro-
duction for the entire nation in 1917
would not pay three per cent on the
money invested.
Dr. Randolph deplored the fact that
necessary provision has never been
made for the proper investigation of
the natural resources of the state.
He went into the technical problems in
connection with cil production rather
thoroughly. ;
cost of the production of cotton and
other crops and livestock as well, and
after the cost of production has been
ascertained, aid these men in finding
tnethods of marketing their products
at prices which will represent a fair
profit upon their investments and la- |
bors.
Special studies will be carried on
in range thanagement looking to the
prevention of the overstocking of
ranches to the end that in dry years
(Continued on Page 4)
U. 8. LOANS HELP
FARMERS 710
SUCCESS
FEDERAL AGENT FINDS THERE
HAVE BEEN FEW FAILURES
AMONG MEN HELPED BY
SEED LOAN FUND
The entire success of the govern-
ment’s policy of loaning farmers of
the drouth-stricken regions of Texas
necessary funds to enable them to
plant grain crops iis evidenced now
that the financial affairs of the fund
the Washington office of the U. S. De-
partment of Agriculture was at Col.
lege yesterday in conference with M.
| Payne of the Extension Service in
| connection with this work. According
| to the agreement with the Feder:
| Land bank of Wichita, Kansas, those
farmers who made a failure on this
| year’s crop will not pay for the seed
| they were allowed, but the farmers
| who were successful will pay the total
amount. )
Mr. Payne says less than 5 per cent
of the farmers aided have failed to
make good this year, the majority of
them having the best Crop in years,
thanks to the federal plan of furnish.
ing them seed without which they
would have had no crop at all. Mz,
Vinall and‘ Mr. Payne: agreed that
those farmers who failed and are un-
able to pay back the loans made then:
will be freed from obligation upon
| submitting to their county agent suf-
ficient proof of their failure, The
county agents then will issue them =
| certificate freeing them from the in.
debtedness.
Mr. Vinall also conferred with mem.
| bers of the Experiment Station staff.
More than 1000 farmers of the
drouth stricken sections of Texas who
were unable to buy their own seed last
year were loaned money out of this
{seed grain loan fund, Three dollars
ber acre was allowed, which covered
part of the cost of the seeding as well
as the cost of the seed itself. Due to
| the splendid wheat crops in Texas
this year the men aided are in good
position to repay the loan and reports
show will willingly do so.
are being wound up. H. M. Vinall of fr 2