822 PLANT LIFE OF ALABAMA. 



sandy loam, rich in vegetable matter on the surface, underlaid by a 

 more compact subsoil of great depth, and at a short distance beneath 

 the surface damp throughout the year, but not deficient in drainage. 

 A soil of this character, in this low latitude, unites all the require- 

 ments for the rapid growth of the pecan tree, yielding nuts of finest 

 quality. The presence of the inesophile herbaceous plant asso- 

 ciations, forming the original plant covering that is, such as prefer 

 a soil of a moderate amount of moisture and a good drainage points 

 to the fitness of the soil for the cultivation of early vegetables in the 

 field during the fall and winter seasons, where, in this part of the 

 Louisianian zone, the proximity of the sea offers greater protection 

 against the injuries caused by sudden and extreme changes of temper- 

 ature, followed by light frosts. Among the fruit trees most successfully 

 grown in the coast region the fig is to be included, which, in the closer 

 and damper soil, is less liable to suffer from the causes mentioned. 



In the region of the Lower division of the Coast Pine belt or the roll- 

 ing pine hills (dry pine barrens), the long-leaf pine reigns supreme, 

 with a scanty undergrowth of black jack, blue jack (Quercus mary- 

 landica, Q. brevifolia}, and downy yellow haw ( Crataegus elUptica}. Her- 

 baceous xerophile associations form a dense carpet beneath, consisting 

 of a variety of panic grasses and Paspaluins, broom sedge (Andropogon 

 scoparius) and many species of the pea family tick trefoils (Meibomia), 

 bush clovers (Lespedeza), prairie clovers (Kuhnistera], goat's rue (Cracca 

 smallii, C. hispidula, C. virginiana) blazing star (Lacinaria elegans], 

 vanilla plant (Trilisa odoratissima), golden-rods (Solidago puberula pul- 

 verulenta, 8. odora, etc.), golden asters (Chrysopsis mariana, C. pilosa), 

 asters (Aster patens, lonactis linariifolius) , sunflowers (Helianthm 

 radula). These give character to the flora and indicate a soil of warm 

 sandy loam, with a somewhat clayey subsoil capable of retaining 

 moisture. The pine lands where such conditions prevail are particu- 

 larly adapted to the growth of pears of Asiatic origin, such as the Le 

 Conte and the Keiffer, and the scuppernong grape, and the growing 

 of the peach gives much promise. Watermelons are raised in large 

 quantity and of best quality. The sweet potato, under the application 

 of proper fertilizers, yields large crops, and throughout the pine belt 

 forms one of the most important food products. Treated in the same 

 way, corn, particularly the white variety, yields satisfactory crops, and 

 the tropical sugar cane is grown with equal success. 



In the Upper division of the Coast Pine belt with its arboreal vegeta 

 tion of a mixed growth of coniferous and hard-wood trees, particularly 

 where the short leaf pine mingles freely with upland oaks, upland 

 hickories, and the chinquapin chestnut, a light sandy loam of a grayish 

 or pale buff color frequently prevails, underlaid by a retentive sub 

 soil. This class of soils, particularly where they cover the low undu- 

 lating hills, is found especially favorable for the cultivation of the 

 strawberry. Soils of a very similar character, and equally adapted to 



