10 



In tliis region the pine growth is more or less mixed with oaks, hick- 

 ories, and other deciduous trees. The soil is variable, bdng rich and 

 fertile along the creek bottoms, but harder, drier, and often somewhat 

 sterile on the hills. These lauds often suffer seriously from washing. 



(5) The black i)rairie region of northeastern Mississippi and western 

 Alabama. 



The soil in this region is black, rich in lime, and affords some of the 

 best grass lands in the South. 



(G) The river bottoms. 



While five of the divisions or regions named above are in irregular 

 belts extendi ug from west to east, all are crossed by rivers, the Ked, 

 Mississippi, Pearl, Tombigbee, Chattahoochee, and others, which flow in 

 a southerly direction. Much of the land along these rivers is of very 

 recent formation and is quite different from that of the neighboring 

 hills. It is generally extremely fertile, but often suffers from overflows 

 and for want of drainage. In each of these regions wide variations of 

 soil may be found, and these difierences occur sometimes on a single 

 farm. 



NATURAL PASTURES. 



The natural forage plants vary as widely as the soils. Some adapt 

 themselves to almost any situation and are quite general in their dis- 

 tribution, while others are extremely local; some become more vigorous 

 and abundant under frequent grazing, while others soon disappear 

 with any change of surroundings^ 



The natural pastures of the Gulf States are composed largely of 

 such grasses (fig. 1) as are native to the more or less open pine woods, 

 while along the streams and roads many foreign grasses and legumes 

 (clovers or beggar weeds) have become thoroughly naturalized and 

 add very materially to the value of the range. Of native forage 

 plants not less than 3~A) species and varieties of grasses alone have 

 been identified. Of that number, 25 yield fully 75 per cent of the 

 grazing. Fully 90 ],)er cent of the natural grazing is aftorded by not 

 more than 30 species. Of the 12 or 15 naturalized and widely distrib- 

 uted species the proportion of valuable sorts is much larger, as only 

 those which are able to thrive in this soil and climate and make places 

 for themselves on ground already occupied by native species could 

 become established without assistance. 



The best native pastures are tho.se of the prairie region of Louisiana, 

 where the soil is fertile, the climate favorable for an abnost continuous 

 growth, and where there are no trees to shade the ground or to appro- 

 priate the moisture and nourishment necessary for the growth of 

 abundant and nutritious herbage. There the FasjHiluins are the char- 

 acteristic and most abundant grasses, carpet-grass [P. coniprcsfium}^ 

 large water-grass {P. <lilalati(ni), smoofli water-grass {P. Icnti/erum), 

 and slender pasi^alum (/'. setactum) being the most common species 



