38 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE 



twenty-five cents on $ioo for the maintenance of the 

 Mississippi River levees, there is an acreage tax on land in 

 the various special drainage districts which usually amounts 

 to seven or eight cents per acre per anntim. 



8. Longleaj Pine Region. — This is the most extensive 

 as well as commercially the most important forest region 

 in the State. Its western boundary is formed by the narrow 

 loess hill or blufT section bordering the flood plain of the 

 Mississippi River. Its northern boundary extends across 

 the State from the vicinity of the loess hills in Claiborne 

 County through Copiah, Rankin, Smith, Scott, Newton, 

 Lauderdale, and Kemper Counties. Southward it con- 

 tinues into Louisiana and to the Gulf of Mexico. 



The region is uniform in soil and vegetation, btit is 

 somewhat varied in topography. The greater part of it is 

 gently rolling, but west of the Pearl River much of the land 

 is extremely hilly. The rolling pine uplands of Alabama 

 continue into the eastern counties of Mississippi often for a 

 distance of several miles. West of thes uplands there are 

 frequent extensive plateaus which are level or gently un- 

 dulating. A narrow strip of country bordering the Gulf 

 consists of level, sandy plains. 



The Lafayette formation of orange-colored sands and 

 clays is common throughout the entire region. This forma- 

 tion is usually overlaid by a yellow sandy loam, while the soil 

 overlying the loam is generally a fine, grayish-white sand. 

 In places the light, sandy soil covers the loose orange sand 

 directly, resulting in land of poor quality. Cultivation on 

 these sandy lands is apt to have ruinous effects, for, when 

 exposed, the orange sands will wash and gully badly. 



The forests of the longleaf pine region may be divided 

 into a large number of types accord ng to the topography, 

 soils, and various other influences. In this repo t, however, 

 only the prominent features will be described under the 

 three following types: 



I. Piney woods type. 



3. Mixed pine and hardwoods type. 



3. Bottom-land type. 



