Vol. 40 | No. 8 
BULLETIN :. 
OF THE 
TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB 
A botanical cross-section of northern Mississippi, with notes on the 
influence of soil on vegetation 
RoLtanp M. HARPER 
(WITH PLATES 21, 22) 
INTRODUCTION 
The coastal plain of the southeastern United States seems to be 
more diversified geographically in Mississippi than in any other 
state, with the possible exception of Florida; and the correlations 
between geology and vegetation are more obvious there than in 
any other part of the coastal plain, unless it is in western Alabama. 
These interesting correlations were graphically described by Dr. 
E. W. Hilgard in his epoch-making ‘‘Geology and Agjiculture of 
Mississippi” in 1860, in the fifth volume of the Tenth Census 
reports in 1884, and in his text-book on Soils* in 1906. On pages 
490-492 of the book last named there is a special phytogeographical 
sketch of the northern end of the state, between latitudes 34° 
and 35°, accompanied by an outline map showing the soil provinces 
or geographical divisions, and a table giving in very condensed 
form the chemical and physical characters of the soil and a list 
of a few of the more characteristic trees in each region. 
In the summer of 1911 I had occasion to cross the northern 
half of Mississippi twice, first a little south of the portion last 
mapped by Dr. Hilgard, and then almost through the center of it. 
In so doing I crossed all but two or three of the divisions on his 
map (which form belts approximately parallel to the Mississippi 
* Reviewed in Torreya 7: 170-175. 
[The Buttetin for July (40: 305-376: oh mn was issued 18 Jl 1913.] 
377 
