T1554, 555, 556] uplanbb of kemfbh — bast tippah. 205 



chief defect appears to be the lack of vegetable matter, which can, of course, be 

 supplied to it by means of green crops. 



hoi. The soil of the level or greatly undulating uplands of the region, is 

 forme! bv a rather light and sandy, yellow loam, timbered with a good growth 

 of Post, Spanish ('* AW") and feed (" Black") Oak, and Hickory. It is a fair 

 soil for corn, wheat and oats, and will generally for some years produce good 

 cotton also; it is in general, however, considered inferior to the soils previously 

 mentioned. It does not appear to redeem the promise held out by its timber, 

 owin * perhaps to shallow tillage. Its vegetation would seem to indicate that it 

 would be benefitted by the use of the Rotten Limestone as a marl. In one 

 instance where this was attempted (by J. M. Jones, Esq., S. E. of Wahalak), 

 no notable effect seemed to result therefrom ; a single experiment, however, 

 cannot decide the question, and it would be well worth while to repeat it at 

 other points. — Intermixtures of the three primary varieties of soils just 

 mentionel, are, of course, abundant, and produce excellent soils of intermediate 

 character ; in some points, soils closely resembling the " Marshall county Table 

 Lands" (T[616) appear. 



555. Between Wahalak Creek and the Flatwoods, e. </., near the plantation of 

 W. \V. Beck, Esq., we find a level country interspersed with prairie spots, and 

 timbered essentially like the upland soil last referred to, with the addition of 

 Short-leaf Pine, and, in the branch bottoms, the common White Oak. It is 

 somewhat heavier than that of the uplands E. of Wahalak Creek, and produces 

 cotton well ; it is obviously very deficient in vegetable matter. Mr. Beck has 

 experienced fine effects from the use on it of the Rotten Limestone marl ; and 

 the fact that cotton grows luxuriantly wherever the prairie soil mixes with that 

 of these uplands, seems to point to the propriety of using in their improvement, 

 the material from which the former derives most of its active ingredients. 

 Where the marl requires to be hauled to a considerable distance, it may in many 

 ca^es be found advantageous to diminish the cost of transportation as well as 

 the quantity required for a dressing, by previous burning (11147 to 149). 



As to the means of preventing the rusting of cotton in the prairie soils of 

 this region, it is to be hoped that they will be developed by analysis. 



556. East Tippah. — The general character of the Pontotoc 

 Ridge (embracing the greater portion of the territory of the 

 Ripley Group, see map) has been described in the Geological 

 Report (11 128 to 130, 137). It is, however, only the southern and 

 western portion of that territory as laid down on the map, which 

 is thus characterized ; the greater part of the country watered by 

 the Hatchie being of a very different aspect, and consisting chiefly 

 of broken "Pine Hills" (1T427 2 ). In N. Tippah, therefore, the 

 lands bearing, more or less distinctly, the character of the Pon- 

 totoc Ridge, are confined to a narrow band, only a few miles in 

 width, between the pine lands of the Flatwoods Region (1591) on 

 Muddy Creek on one side, and those of the Hatchie on the other. 



The road from Ripley to Pocahontas runs almost in the middle of the fertile 

 belt, for the greater part of the distance to the State line (U"134) ; yet even on 

 this route we occasionally meet a pine ridge, and Pines are in sight, from time to 

 time, on either side. E. of the Hatchie, in TT. 1 and 2, RR. 5 and 6 E., the 

 character of the Pine Hills is rather exceptional, the Post Oak and Black Jack, 

 elsewhere commonly occurring, being, to a great extent, replaced by White 

 Oak. This, as well as the frequent appearance of Hickory on the hills, would 

 Beem to indicate a better soil than usually accompanies the other oaks ; yet the 

 region is very thinly settled, and cultivated only in the narrow bottoms. 

 Further S., the Pine Hills resume their usual growth of Short-leaf Pine, Black 

 Jack and Post Oak, with scattered Chestnuts ; the ground being occupied by 



