﻿348 
  FLORA. 
  

  

  or 
  its 
  tributaries, 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  in 
  which 
  

   there 
  is 
  not 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  steam-mills 
  busily 
  employed 
  in 
  

   sawing 
  this 
  timber. 
  Add 
  to 
  these 
  the 
  numerous 
  mills 
  

   similarly 
  employed 
  on 
  plantations, 
  and 
  take 
  into 
  view 
  

   the 
  logs 
  rafted 
  to 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  coast 
  

   below 
  our 
  borders, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  perceived 
  that 
  the 
  

   annual 
  consumption 
  of 
  this 
  valuable 
  timber, 
  the 
  growth 
  

   of 
  our 
  swamps, 
  is 
  enormous. 
  

  

  No 
  inconsiderable 
  quantity 
  of 
  this 
  timber 
  is 
  floated 
  

   into 
  the 
  Yazoo 
  River 
  in 
  cribs, 
  or 
  single 
  logs, 
  from 
  the 
  

   Cypress 
  hrahes, 
  or 
  swamps, 
  at 
  periods 
  when 
  the 
  low 
  

   grounds 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  inundated, 
  and 
  the 
  slues 
  and 
  

   hayous 
  are 
  filled 
  w^ith 
  water. 
  The 
  cribs 
  and 
  logs 
  are 
  

   then 
  united 
  by 
  pinning 
  poles 
  across 
  them, 
  forming 
  rafts 
  

   sometimes 
  two 
  hundred 
  feet 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  length. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  curious 
  and 
  imposing 
  spectacle 
  in 
  passing 
  up 
  

   the 
  Yazoo 
  River, 
  at 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  high 
  water, 
  to 
  observe 
  

   the 
  vast 
  accumulations 
  of 
  logs, 
  covering 
  in 
  the 
  aggre- 
  

   gate, 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  stream, 
  awaiting 
  the 
  

   subsidence 
  of 
  the 
  flood 
  for 
  a 
  current 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  to 
  be 
  

   floated 
  out. 
  Much 
  of 
  this 
  timber 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  sources 
  

   of 
  the 
  Yazoo, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  Bayous 
  and 
  Lakes 
  connect- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  them 
  in 
  time 
  of 
  high 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  Big 
  Black, 
  the 
  Pearl, 
  and 
  the 
  Homochitto 
  Rivers 
  

   also 
  contribute 
  large 
  supplies. 
  

  

  Much 
  of 
  the 
  Cypress 
  was 
  formerly 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  public 
  

   lands, 
  but 
  some 
  restraint 
  has 
  of 
  late 
  been 
  imposed 
  upon 
  

   these 
  depredations. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  class 
  of 
  raftsmen 
  are 
  habitually 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   this 
  pursuit, 
  to 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  has 
  greatly 
  reduced, 
  if 
  

   not 
  exhausted, 
  the 
  supply 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  ac- 
  

   cessible 
  localities. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  levies 
  or 
  embankments 
  

   on 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  of 
  late 
  years, 
  by 
  restraining 
  the 
  over- 
  

  

  