H528, 529] lands op big bear — yellow creek. 255 



soils, partly prairie, partly oak uplands, poor in springs and with 

 limy well waters — the Prairie Region proper. The other two 

 (Eutaw, and Tombigbee Sand Group, 1101 to 115) consist of 

 Bands, more or less clayey and in part (on the territory colored 

 dark green on the map — Tombiubee Sand Group) limy ; the region 

 occupied by ihein is hilly and sandy, and the soil generally inferior ; 

 springs are abundant and their water mostly freestone. The lands 

 on the territory of the Carboniferous formation (which consists of 

 hard limestones and sandstones) do not differ essentially, or at 

 least characteristically, from those of the last mentioned groups, 

 save perhaps in that pebbles are very abundant on the surface ; 

 as are also fine, cold, freestone springs. 



I must observe that unfortunately, at the time of my visit to the 

 counties of Tishomingo. Itawamba, Tippah, as well as the greater 

 portion of Pon'otoc and Monroe, (1850), the special examination 

 of the soils was not considered, as it is at present, the paramount 

 object of the Survey, and hence, my observations there on this 

 point are greatly wanting in completeness, and but few specimens 

 of soils from that region are in my possession. The gap will, of 

 course, be filled up hereafter, as soon as possible. 



528. Tishomingo and Itawamba. — There is so great a general 

 resemblance in the geological and agriculiural features of these 

 two counties, that they may as well be considered jointly. In the 

 western portion of both, we find gently undulating oak uplands, 

 interspersed with spots and pat hes of black and of bald prairie, 

 with wide, fertile bottoms ; this region is indicated on the map by 

 a yellowish-green tint. Passing eastward from it, we enter a more 

 h lly region, with a poor sandy soil, whose prevalent timber is 

 Short-leaf Pine. Black Jack and Post Oak, tog ther with Chestnut ; 

 the bottoms being narrow, but fertile. This is the character of 

 the "Pine Hills" of N. K. Mississippi ; whose supply of water is 

 generally dependent on, and bears the charade, istics of, the Orange 

 Sand formation (H75 to 77.) 



Beyond these we find in Tishomingo, on the waters of Big Bear, 

 and Mackay's Creek in part, a inure gently undulating region with 

 a more fertile soil, whoso timber is a rare mixture of trees other- 

 wise not often found together on the same soil. 



529. Sandy Uplands of East Tishomingo and East Itawamba. 

 — The Tennessee River has little or no bottom on the Mississippi 

 side, the Pine Hills (on which the slaty hydraulic limestone crops out 

 — 1192. ff.), coming up pretty close to the bank, which is timbered 

 with Walnut and Sycamore — trees not common in the interior in 

 this region. Yellow Creek, which at its heads is remarkable 

 for the width of its bottom, possesses but a very narrow one in the 

 lower portion of its course. The hills immediately bordering on 

 the bottom, which have gentle slopes, are quite fertile; but as we 

 recede from the creek, Pine Hills set in. 



The heads of Yellow Creek generally possess wide and fertile bottom^ 



