72 



The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 



Mississippi 

 and Louisiana 

 From a 

 ■Standpoint 

 of Lands 



Arkansas Pre- 

 sents Varied 

 Character 

 of Soils 



Erosion's 

 Effect on 

 Soil Fertility 



goes, and a little less broken in this region. Then, along the western 

 side of the State, there is a belt of country which is relatively high, 

 but is thoroughly cut to pieces by streams. This consists of the hill 

 lands just east of the Delta. 



In Louisiana this region is all smooth, except along the eastern 

 side, where it is cut up by streams flowing into the Mississippi. In 

 this part of the State there is more or less rough land — possibly 10 

 per cent — a little rough for cultivation under conditions of South- 

 ern rainfall ; and going southward it slopes to smooth land down to 

 the sea. 



In Arkansas we have two mountainous regions. By the way — 

 the request that was extended to me by Mr. Moore of the Southern 

 Pine Association, stated that they desired to discuss Arkansas as a 

 whole — not simply the coastal plain part ; so I have colored the 

 whole state. There is a mountainous belt in this region, just south 

 of the Arkansas River lowland, a high plateau belt in the northern 

 part, and a high limestone region in the extreme northern part. 

 The eastern part of the State is low. In the mountain regions, by 

 no means, is all of the land too rough to cultivate. The rough 

 topography consists of certain minor ridges which are high and 

 steep with intervening lowlands, two, three and four miles in width, 

 all of which are now cultivated to a great extent and which will be 

 more cultivated in the future. The North Central part of the State, 

 on the other hand, consists of a high plateau except where valleys 

 have been cut into it. The northern edge drops off steeply. The 

 southern edge also has a narrow belt of rough country. In general 

 it is a high plateau. 



In Texas we include only a small portion of the eastern part 

 of the State. In the northern part there is a good deal of relatively 

 rough land. Then, as you go southward, the country gradually 

 slopes off to a smooth plain at sea level. 



Probably 15 to 20 per cent of the coastal plain lands of the 

 South are rather too rough for cultivation under existing condi- 

 tions here. What are those conditions? Warm winters which do 

 not freeze the soil, and thereby expose it to erosion throughout 

 twelve months of the year ; high rainfall ; the absence of thick grass 

 over the timber land as well as the fields ; the South being charac- 

 teristically a region of no grass. The Southern farmer, therefore, 

 has to contend with the two unfavorable conditions of a pretty 

 well leached soil, and a soil which erodes easily. 



