“6 REPORT ON THE TIMBERS OF THE 
of streams are of the greatest importance in considering the 
present and future value of these Purchase timbers. The 
streams are important in considering the /udwre value of the 
timbers, because, as I have previously shown,* wherever 
the white oak is the principal forest tree, other timbers 
are succeeding it as fast as it is cut away. This succes- 
sion takes place much slower on bottom lands than else- 
where, for there are few swamp timbers to supplant white 
oak, and there is no danger of upland timbers doing so along 
streams. The water timbers are strongly marked, and it 
seems impossible that they could ever be supplanted by up- 
land timbers. So there is far less tendency in swamp white 
oak to disappear along the streams, than there is in the up- 
land white oak to disappear from the body of the Kentucky 
forests. The same may be said of other swamp timbers, so 
that the number and character of the streams are very im- 
portant. 
A glance at the map of this part of Kentucky will show that, 
in these seven counties, there are no less than five streams o« 
importance, alon all of which the timbers are very fine in- 
OR 
8 
deed, and are likely to remain substantially the same in kind. 
Besides these large streams, smaller creeks and branches form 
a perfect net-work over the greater part of the region. Leav- 
ing out of consideration the timbers along these streams, the 
forest growth varies considerably in these counties. Speak- 
ing generally, the timbers through the eastern parts of Mar- 
shall and .Calloway counties are good, as are also those 
through the western parts of Hickman and Ballard. 
A belt extending directly through the Purchase country, 
embracing less than one third of it, with its centre line passing 
through Mayfield, will contain about all of the poor timber to 
be found in this entire corner of Kentucky. And, inasmuch as 
Mayfield creek passes through almost the entire length of 
this central belt, and its tributaries and those of Little Obion 
river ramify through it in every direction, along all of which 
streams the timbers are very fine, it will be seen that this 
*See Report on Tradewater Timbers. 
142 
