THE SOILS OF TENNESSEE. 165 



warranted. Nitrogenous fertilizers, such as nitrate of soda, dried blood 

 and cotton-seed meal, may be used to a limited extent, but the production 

 of clover and alfalfa, the pasturing of land, and the careful saving and 

 use of barnyard manure, are the important means of their permanent 

 improvement. 



Gravelly hill lands. The gravelly hill lands of this section are known 

 for their productiveness, and in this respect are the opposite of the gravelly 

 hills either of East Tennessee or the "barrens" of the Highland Rim. The 

 soils are loamy and of excellent texture. The great drawback to much of 

 this area is the steepness and height of hills, which make manuring almost 

 impossible, and limit the use of implements and farm machinery. These 

 lands make very fine bluegrass pastures, and clovers generally thrive. By 

 utilizing them for these purposes, the fertility is easily maintained. Neither 

 fertilizers nor lime is apt to be required, but the need of the latter is some- 

 times indicated for old and depleted soils of this character. 



Glady lands. In the aggregate, a considerable area of the basin is not 

 suited to cultivated crops, on account of either the outcropping of the lime- 

 stone or of the shallowness of the soil overlying the rock. Such areas are 

 naturally covered with cedars and are known locally as cedar glades. 

 "Glady" land is therefore land of shallow soil, but is used profitably both 

 for pastures and for the production of cedar timber. 



Gray-colored soil. In addition to the soils mentioned, certain minor 

 areas of gray-colored soils with yellowish-red subsoils are found. They 

 are heavier and not so fertile as the typical brown loams, and have been 

 found to respond to both phosphate and lime. They make excellent wheat 

 and grass lands when properly handled. 



Overflow and bench lands. The overflow and bench lands of this part 

 of the State are in general very rich, and are not apt to require much if 

 any artificial drainage. As in East Tennessee, the texture of the overflow 

 lands varies greatly, depending upon the swiftness of the current at the 

 point of deposition. Sandy soils and sandy loams are the rule. The bench 

 lands are apt to partake of the nature of the adjacent uplands, but are 

 deeper and richer. At the present time, the bench lands are more or less 

 reduced in fertility, by reason of long continued cropping in corn. They 

 should be set oftener to clover and grass, and a better rotation of crops 

 than that commonly followed is highly advisable. 



THE HIGHLAND RIM. 



The Highland Rim, which completely surrounds the Central Basin, has 

 an approximate area of 9300 square miles, and an elevation of 800 to 1000 

 feet above sea level. The average annual rainfall of nearly 50 inches is 



