SECTION FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO’ POUND GAP. 27 
The Keokuk is an exceedingly fertile formation, and its 
timbers are nearly always, on the limestone, of the finest. 
Its soils are rich in marls, it furnishes a good supply of sur- 
face water, and has all the requisites for the production of 
splendid forests. Timbers, therefore, grow better and more 
valuable at once on passing onto the Keokuk ; but white oak, 
chestnut, and most of the liriodendron, have been driven from 
the forests in this locality by fire. With these exceptions, the 
hill-side facing Little Barren river on the west furnishes a good 
sample of the timbers that grow on the Keokuk limestone. 
They are black cherry, black locust, swamp chestnut oak, 
black walnut, some liriodendron, white and shag hickory, 
sycamore, mulberry, blue ash, red elm, white maple, redbud, 
water beech, hackberry, and cedar. On the same formation, 
immediately after crossing Little Barren river, plenty of chest- 
nut and white oak are found, with scarlet oak, black oak, pig 
hickory, and sugar maple, in addition to the timbers just men- 
tioned above; and all through the hills white oak, chestnut, 
and liriodendron become exceedingly fine and valuable. This 
points to the probability that Little Barren river was the east- 
ern barrier to the ancient fires. 
On nearing Green river, about five and one half miles from 
Greensburg, the forests are magnificent. They consist of 
large liriodendron, white oak, shag hickory, white hickory, 
black walnut, beeches, swamp (rich) red oak, hackberry, honey 
locust, red elm, box-elder, blue ash, sugar maple, water beech, 
and swamp chestnut oak. In the swamp, in addition to these, 
are black locust, big buckeye, and black ash. 
After crossing Green river, we ascend again onto a some- 
what sharply-rolling country, whose bed-rock is very much 
decayed St. Louis chert, and whose timbers, for several miles, 
are nearly altogether beeches. This peculiar beech growth, 
occupying alike the highest hills and the lowest grounds, has 
already been spoken of. 
About five and one half miles from Greensburg, toward 
‘Campbellsville, the beeches begin to give way to black oak, 
red oak, liriodendron, chestnut, pig and black hickory, swamp 
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