FOJREST RESOURCES OF MISSISSIPPI. 481 



The Commissioner of Agriculture reported, for 1875, the area culti- 

 vated by various crops as 5,056,133 acres ; pastures inclosed, 495,192 

 acres ; acres inclosed by fences, 6,804,437. 



The Controller-General reported for 1876: 



Acres " improved "1 28,737,539, valued at $90,019,944 



Acres of wild land 7,043,584, valued at 1,835,828 



Total 35,781,123, valued at 91,855,772 



MISSISSIPPI. 



The southern part of this State is generally level, or but slightly un- 

 dulating, and near the coast often marshy. The Mississippi liiver, 

 below Vicksburg, is bordered by a bluff formation, which has a surface 

 area about ten miles wide. This formation leaves the river at Vicks-, 

 burg, and extends in a narrow belt northeastward and northward to the 

 northwest corner of the State, leaving between it and the river an im- 

 mense tract of bottomlands, much of the way from 50 to 60 miles wide. 

 East of the bluff formation, below Vicksburg, and occupying nearly a 

 third of the State, occurs the grand Gulf gron]>, or long leaf pine re- 

 gion.2 This is generally undulating, frequently hilly, the surface soil 

 sandy, and the characteristic tree the Finns ausiralis. Around the edges 

 this grows only on the higher ridges, but farther in it descends to the 

 verge of the bottom lands, but seldom actually grows on the flats. It 

 is accompanied on the uplands by the black-jack, post-oak, &c., and on 

 the hillsides by the black gum, dogwood, and other species. The fre- 

 quency and size of these associated trees mark the variations in the fer- 

 tility of the soil. Where the pine occurs alone the soil is generally very 

 poor. The bottoms are generally quite narrow, with a light but pro- 

 ductive soil, the timber being beech, magnolia, black gum, short leaf 

 pine, &c. The timber growth generally is open, from the effect of fires, 

 admitting of valuable pasturage. 



Northward from this occur the yellow loam, central prairie, and north- 

 eastern prairie regions, which are more or less undulating or hilly, the 

 prairies being generally small, irregular, and interspersed with wood- 

 lauds. The northeastern prairie region^ has underlying limestone for- 

 mations of different geological ages. The timber varies considerably, 

 according to soil and elevation, and includes the short-leaf pine, oaks 

 of many species, sweet and black gums, poplar, dogwood, tupelo, willow, 

 red cedar, chestnut, hickories, backberry, hornbeam, ash, sycamore, 

 mulberry, black walnut, redbud, pawpaw, &c. 



Westward of this, in the northern part, lies the flatwoods region.* 

 The level lands are timbered chiefly with post oak ; often with blaek- 



'The term " improved" evidently applies to lands Laving a resident owner or occu- 

 pant, and includes all the lands cultivated, as well as woodland, «&c, belonging to such 

 resident farms and plantations. 



The area of the State of Georgia is generally estimated at 58,000 square miles, or 

 37,120,000 acres, which exceeds the above aggregate by 1,338,877 acres. It is probable 

 that some lands are not included as taxable, which may account for thisditlere; co. 



2 This includes the eastern part of Wilkinson, Adams, Jefferson, and Clail.orne 

 Counties, the southern part of Hinds, Eankin, Smith, Jasper, and Wayne, and all 

 south of these excepting a belt some ten or tifteen miles wide along the Gulf belonging 

 to the coast-Pleiocene formation. 



3 Includes the whole or parts of the following counties, viz : Tishomingo, East Tip- 

 pah, Itawamba, East Pontotoc, Monroe, East Choctaw, Lowndes, East Oktibbeha, East. 

 Noxubee, and Northeastern Kemper. 



■i Including parts of the counties of Tippah, Pontotoc, La Fayette, Chickasaw, Cal- 

 h(Jlm, Choctaw, Oktibbeha, Winston, Noxubee, and Kemper. The part popularly styled 

 the "flatwoods" forms a narrow belt, bordering on the west, the Cretaceous formations 

 of the northeast prairie region. Their usual width is three to six miles, but varies, aad 

 in places widens out to ten or twelve. 



31 F 



