FOREST CONDITIONS OF MISSISSIPPI. 21 



J. The Pontotoc Ridge Region. — The Pontotoc Ridge 

 region is a narrow belt of high land ranging from more or 

 less rolling to rather hilly, which forms the divide between 

 the waters of the Tombigbee and Hatchie Rivers on the 

 north and east and the Schoona and Yalobusha Rivers on 

 the west. The soil is limestone and sandstone very largely 

 overlaid by the orange sand or Lafayette formation which 

 gives the ridge its name — the "red hills" country. 



The rich red uplands were formerly covered with a 

 fine forest of white, black and red oaks, hickory, yellow 

 poplar, black walnut and black locust, a type found only 

 on very fertile soil. Naturally, this region was cleared 

 many years ago, and all except the roughest situations 

 were placed in cultivation. 



The northern part of the Pontotoc Ridge, which is 

 drained by the Hatchie River, is rather broken and con- 

 tains a large amount of the pine hills forest type. In this 

 part of the ridge, known as the Tippah Hills, there remains 

 considerable good oak, yellow poplar and red gum timber. 



Much of the Hatchie bottom-land is subject to long 

 periods of inundation, and is, therefore, unsuited for agri- 

 culture. Eventually much of this overflow land will doubt- 

 less be reclaimed, but in the meantime it ought to be 

 devoted to the growth of valuable hardwood species, and 

 should be managed on a rational basis of forestry. 



Farther south, between the heads of Hatchie an.d Talla- 

 hatchie Rivers, the country becomes more rolling and less 

 broken in character. The virgin forest, which has been 

 mostly replaced by farms, contained a smaller admixture 

 of pines than that farther north, but a greater ainount of 

 red and white oaks, yellow poplar and black locust. The 

 virgin hardwood forests of the headwaters of the Talla- 

 hatchie have been exploited by stave and heading com- 

 panies for the finest white oak, by spoke companies for 

 hickory, and by sawmill men for hardwood lumber, until 

 there are very few tracts containing virgin timber. There 

 is, however, a great deal of young, thrifty hardwood tim- 

 ber, which, if cared for, will form the basis for future cuts. 

 There is also a considerable amount of loblolly and short- 



