92 ECONOMIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA. 



merous county descriptions), Smith 9 (226, 230-244), 

 Tuomey 2 (135-143). 



Geology and soils. — This region is underlaid through- 

 out by the Ripley formation (uppermost Cretaceous), 

 whose strata vary from marly to sandy ; but most of the 

 surface, and therefore of the soil, seems to be of the 

 Lafayette formation. In some parts this is the usual red 

 loam, but elsewhere, especially eastward, it is sandy 

 enough for salamanders to live in. The soils are just 

 about the average in fertility. 



Topography and hydrography. — In the western half of 

 the state, where this region is narrow, it is rather hilly 

 throughout, with rather sharp ridges. Eastward, where 

 it widens out and takes the place of the black belt, the 

 topography is more diversified, comprising considerable 

 areas of comparatively level country with low hills ris- 

 ing above it and narrow ravines cut into it, with many 

 bluffs along the larger streams, and not much swamp. 

 The streams are rather numerous, but seem to present 

 no special noteworthy features. 



Climate. — The weather stations at Fort Deposit, Un- 

 ion Springs and Eufaula are located in this region. The 

 average temperature and length of the growing season 

 are practically the same as in the black belt. The rain- 

 fall is a little more copious, and more evenly distributed 

 through the year, especially eastward. (There may be 

 some correlation between the wetter summers and the 

 sandier soils in the eastern portion. (See footnote on 

 page 24.) 



Forest types. — These present no striking features. 

 There are dry oak and pine woods on the uplands, 

 swamps along some of the streams, and a hammock type 

 of woodland in ravines and second bottoms. Fire does 

 not seem to be very frequent now, though it may have 

 been more so originally, before the forests were broken 

 up so much by cultivated fields. 



