SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS 37 



SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. 



Georgia has a great variety of soil, embracing the most 

 fertile and the most barren. In the south are the Sea Islands, 

 of a light sandy soil, famous for producing the finer descriptions 

 of Sea Island cotton. 



Here, too, are the celebrated tide swamp lands, producing 

 immense quantities of rice. The tide swamp lands on the 

 rivers are all of the same appearance, but the soil varies in 

 quality, according to the size and extent of the rivers upon 

 which they are situated. On the Savannah river, the bodies 

 of tide swamp land are extensive, and are cultivated upwards 

 of twenty miles from the brackish marsh up the river, and are 

 considered the most valuable lands in the State. Next to these 

 are the lands on the Alatamaha river. The extent of these 

 lands in width is equal to those of the Savannah river ; but 

 from the marshes upward, their extent does not exceed six- 

 teen miles, where the freshets forbid their being of any value, 

 except for timber. The soil has more of decayed vegetable 

 mould than the land of the Savannah river, and is more easily 

 cultivated. The products are large crops of rice, and black- 

 seed cotton. Indian corn grows well, and the sugar cane suc- 

 ceeds finely. The tide lands of the Ogeechee are next in order, 

 and extend from the marshes about ten miles. The soil is 

 adapted to rice, but for cotton it does not appear to answer 

 so well. The tide swamp lands of the Great St. Ilia river, 

 have a high reputation. They are not as broad as those above 

 mentioned, but they are good, from the marshes twenty miles 

 distance up the river, and are not liable to freshets. On these 

 lands, fine crops of rice and cotton are made. The inland 

 swamp lands produce abundantly, but unless there be^ contigu- 

 ous a reservoir of water, the produce is uncertain. The oak 

 lands adjoining the inland swamps produce the black-seed cot- 

 ton, but are said to be inferior in quality. About sixty or seventy ;^^ 

 miles from the coast the pine lands are approached. A great k 

 portion of these are low and unproductive, valuable chief- 

 ly for timber, large quantities of which are annually prepai'ed 

 for market. Many of these lands, considered as valueless, have 



