so I'LANT LIFK ( H' AI.AKAMA. 



lands \v(M"t' madf easily jicccssihlf to llic iimiii«^iaiit liy tlic L;'i'<'iit li'uiik 

 lines IcadiiiLT from the centers of jxtpulation in the Noiili to the (Jiilf 

 coast, tlicv were hut sparsely inlialtited. The earlier settlers who had 

 >t I Halted upon the in depended for their suppoit nioic on th(^ cha.sc than 

 upon the cultivation of a soil which was looked upon as too ])<)or to 

 alVord an adequate return. i'his, iiowevei', has all Keen clianj^ed hy tlie 

 inllu.x of a population which was attracted hy the mild and .salul)rious 

 climate, and which, cominti' with the determination to estaldish its home 

 here, has sui-cecded in coniiuering the unpromisin*^ soil and develo})ed 

 its po.ssihilities. With the rapid increase in ])opulation these land.s 

 have come much into demand, and under rational mana<,'"ement almost 

 every ci'op raised in the Xortiiern States can he successfully grown on 

 these tahle-lands hy the side of cotton. 



'rh(^ meadow grasses of the North, with red clover and similar for- 

 age ])lants, do well here. Much attention is given to the production 

 of hreadstuti's, chiefly corn, to which the greater part of the aral)le 

 land is devoted. Small grains, as wheat and rye, supi)ly a part of the 

 home demand. Irish and sweet potatoes are protita})le summer crops, 

 and nearly all of the root crops and vegetahles grown in the temperate 

 zone are produced here in a])undance and perfection. Of small fruits, 

 the strawherry has heen found highly protitahle, usually Ijeing har- 

 vested hefore the end of April. This fruit finds a ready sale in the 

 distant northern markets. Orchards of fruit trees on a large scale 

 do not yet exi.st, although apples, pears, and peaches are successfully 

 grown. The cultivation of the grape was given great attention hy 

 the earlier of the German immigrants until the appearance of a fun- 

 gous di-sease proved a great drawback. But wnth the successful 

 employment of remedies to suhdue this di-sease viticulture, particu- 

 larly of grapes for tal)le use. has received a new impetus. 



REGION i)V THE TENNESSEE KIVEK VALLEY. 



rnYsioiw; AiMiKAi, fi:atcui:s and climate. 



"West of the detached spurs of the C'lunhcrland Mountains, which 

 form the northeastern continuation of the tahledands south of the 

 basin of the Tennessee Riv^er, this valley is marked as an area of 

 erosion, in which the waters have cut their chaniud altogether in the 

 sul)carhonifer()us limestone, the surface rock. The mo.st distinctive 

 feature of the vegetation of the Teimes.see Valley consists in decid- 

 uous forc^sts, generally of a mesophile composition, with decidedly 

 northern types prevailing, and containing species in common with the 

 Carolinian area in the Ohio Valley which are not found in an}- other 

 part of Alabama. For example, of trees and shrubs there occur here: 

 Aesmlm ockmdru (buckeye). Staphylea trifoUa (bladderwort). 



Aesculus glabra (buckeye) . Symphoricarpos symphoricarpos (coral- 



Acer .tacchandn (sugar maple) . berry) . 



Cladraslis tinctoria (yellowwood) . 



