FOREST CONDITIONS OF MISSISSIPPI. 



Oi\ 



In the northern portion of the Flatwoods, where the 

 upland hardwoods predominate in the stand, forest manage- 

 ment is a simple matter of selection. The old, slow-grow- 

 ing, and diseased trees should be removed so that the young 

 ones may have ample sunlight and grow rapidly. The 

 better kinds of oaks should be favored through heavy 

 culling of the less valuable trees. 



The item of chief importance in the management of the 

 forests of this region, particularly of the pines, is the pro- 

 tection of the young stands from fire. Every year during 

 the dry autumn months, practically every acre of woodland 

 is burned over at least once, and often two or three times 

 in the same season. 



Market Conditions and Land Values. — There are many 

 portable sawmills and cotton-gin sawmills in this region 

 working in loblolly and shortleaf pine. Pine stumpage 

 usually sells for Si per thousand board feet, and land 

 covered with second-growth timber of saw-log size can be 

 purchased for from $5 to $10 per acre. The pine stands 

 average about 5,000 board feet per acre. As a rule, the 

 lumber manufactured in the Flatwoods is not graded, and 

 mill men seldom attempt to improve the grade by careful 

 sawing. The lumber is sold locally or shipped short dis- 

 tances to points within the State. The usual price is Si 2.50 

 per thousand feet, f.o.b., though it is sometimes as low as 

 $10. The oaks are chiefl}" cut for cross-ties, which sell at an 

 average price of 32 cents apiece. 



5. North Central Plateau Region. — The north central 

 plateau region comprises the country between the Flat- 

 woods on the east and the Yazoo Delta on the west. It 

 slopes gently southward to the Yalobusha River. 



The chief soil of the region is a yellow or brownish- 

 yellow loam, known as the Cokimbia loam, which varies 

 in depth from a few inches to several feet, with an average 

 depth of 3 feet overlying the orange sand of Lafayette 

 formation. Because of its exceeding fertility and because 

 it occurs in a region of high 1-and and healthful climate, it 

 was among the first soils of the State to be widely cultivated. 

 It was especially suited to cotton culture. For many years 



