OF ARKANSAS. 23 



beds, which constitute the main mass of the Crowley ridge at the " Pine," 

 is altogether unfavorable for the discovery of ore of this description. 



A qualitative chemical analysis was made of the water of the St. Francis 

 river, in the north-east part of Greene county, which proves it to be a 

 remarkably soft water, containing only a small quantity of carbonate of 

 magnesia and lime, and a trace of sulphates and chlorides. It is remark- 

 able, too, for the small proportion of lime compared with magnesia. In 

 most river waters, the lime is in much larger proportion than the magnesia- 

 The saline matter, altogether, is in much smaller quantity than is usually 

 found in our western rivers; hence, the softness of the water. It is well 

 adapted for domestic purposes. The same is true of most of the spring 

 water in the northern part of the Crowley ridge. The spring at A. S. 

 Stewart's was tested, qualitatively, and found to contain only a trace of 

 lime and a very small quantity of bi-carbonate and chloride of magnesia. 

 It is almost as soft as rain water. 



Samples of soils of the northern part of the Crowley ridge, were collected 

 from the farm of W. Raeburn, where the growth is black-oak, hickory, 

 black and white walnut, and large pop*ar. Also, a sample of the genuine 

 " black sand land," from the flat lands, at the foot of the eastern slope of 

 the ridge, from the farm of H. W. Granada. 



The ridge lands, where these soils were collected, produce from 40 to 50 

 bushels of corn to the acre, and 20 to 30 bushels of wheat. It would, no 

 doubt, produce tolerably good crops of tobacco and cotton, but these have 

 not been raised to any extent in this vicinity as yet. 



The black sand soil is remarkably deep and rich, and will yield, on new 

 land, 80 to 100 bushels of corn to the acre. It produces very fine vege- 

 tables, and appears to be especially congenial to peach trees. It is a 

 quick warm soil, and stands both dry and wet seasons well. The growth 

 on this land is poplar, oak, walnut, and gum, with an undergrowth of spice 

 and papaw. This black-sand-land represents a large proportion of the 

 flat lands, lying between Crowley's ridge and the Mississippi river, in 

 Arkansas. 



The south-western part of township 19 north, range *t east, and the 

 northern part of township 18 north, range 6 east, support mostly a growth 

 of barren oak, with the upper quaternary gravel bed generally near the 

 surface. In some of the deep hoUows, 80 to 90 feet below the gravel bed, 

 the quaternary clay is occasionally recognizable; the intervening deposi- 

 tion of 90 to 100 feet being mostly ferruginous orange sand, where it is 

 exposed to view, with perhaps some subordinate interstratified beds of 

 clay. But there are but few good sections where the quaternary sand can 



