During 1950, production in west-central Texas, Railroad Commission District 7-B, increased to 25,752,000 barrels of oil, as compared with 23,174,000 barrels of oil for the previous year. Gas production also showed a slight increase. In all, 2,030 tests were drilled in the 24-county area resulting in 1,002 producers and 1,028 dry holes, a success average of 49.4 per cent. Out of 755 exploratory tests drilled, 192 were discovery wells, giving a successful average of 25.4 per cent. Fifty-eight new fields were discovered in 1950 as compared with fifty-nine during 1949. The most important discoveries were (1) the Old Glory Bend conglomerate pool in eastern Stonewall County, (2) the E. Hamlin Swastika sand pool in northwestern Jones County, and (3) the Bankline-Owen Lake sand p ol in northwestern Eastland County.

The number of seismograph crews and core drills dropped considerably during the year. Exploratory crews in general dropped from 36 to 13 from January to December, 1950. The main reason for this drop in exploration crews is the lack of available acreage in sizable blocks.

Major leasing activity has been in Stonewall and western Haskell counties, as the result of the Bend conglomerate discoveries, and the Kent-Scurry reef play farther west.