1700, 701,1702,703] lands between- "cane" and "pine" hills. 622! 



ridges, it ought, if conveniently practicable, to be distributed over 

 the denuded surface of the silt. In short, as a general rule, it 

 ought to be recollected that these two kinds of soil mutually 

 improve each other, and ought to be mixed whenever this can be 

 done cheaply, and with due regard to the influence which the 

 change of subsoil may be found to exercise, in cases where deep 

 plowing will reach the silt. (See above, (1697). 



700. Lands Intervening between (he Cane Hills and Pine Hills. — Intervening 

 between the Cane Hill Region proper, and the Pine Hills of the interior, we find, 

 as before observed (^[683, fl'.), a variety of upland soils intermediate between 

 the two, and forming gradual transitions, both in the aspect of the soils and the 

 character of their vegetation, from the one to the other. In some cases (as in 

 the region between Willow Spring and Rocky Spring in X. E. Claiborne) the 

 transition is quite sudden — from the rich brown loam to the pale yellow subsoil 

 of the Pine Hills ; while further south, and in Jefferson county, a gently undu- 

 lating tract of loam lands intervenes between the Cane Hills and the Pine Hills, 

 Further S. yet, in Franklin county, the broken, yellow loam ridges of the 

 Hamburg Hills pass, on one side into the sandy hills of the Homochitto, and on 

 the other, into the Cane Hills of Adams county. As none of these soils has 

 as yet been analyzed, a few general remarks with reference to them must suffice 

 for the present. 



701. The sandy soil of the Homochitto Hills, though evidently fertile (as is 

 proved by the vigorous growth of oaks and hickory laden with Long Moss, and 

 the comparative scarcity of Pines) is cultivated to a very limited extent only, 

 on account of the brokenness of the surface. Not unfrequently, a yellow loam 

 subsoil underlies the sandy surface soil, and by careful horizontalizing and deep 

 plowing, a great deal of land now lying idle might no doubt be made available. 

 The sand which these soils contain, is generally much coarser than that of the 

 Pine Hill soils and often pebbly ; and some tracts, especially on the S. Fork of 

 Homochitto, resemble closely, in soil and vegetation, the sandy ridges of East 

 Mississippi, in Noxubee, Kemper, Lauderdale and Jasper counties (1T650, ff.)» 

 Here, too, the Upland Willow Oak, or narrow leaved Black Jack, is found, 

 mingled with short sturdy Post and Spanish ( "Bed ") and some White Oak, 

 and Hickory. — In this region, at the present time, the bottoms and hommocks 

 alone are extensively cultivated (see below, (1T711, flf.). 



702. In passing from Meadville to Hamburg, we find between the forks of the 

 Homochitto, moderately hilly uplands of tolerable fertility, and less sandy. 

 After crossing the W. fork the country becomes more hilly ; a good strong loam 

 soil sets in, the pine becomes scarce, and Hickory, White, Spanish (" Red ") and 

 Black Oaks, together with the Cucumber tree, occupy the ridges, while on the 

 hillsides, the Sweet Gum, Ash, and " Poplar " are also found. In exposures by 

 washes on the hillsides, we find that there is uppermost a layer 18 to 24 inches 

 in thickness of light brown loam, forming the soil and subsoil ; beneath this, 

 several feet of pale yellow, sandy loam, resembling that of the pine hills, and 

 below this, the Orange Sand strata. 



It is obvious that such a disposition of the strata must produce a great variety 

 of soils from the top of the ridges down to their foot. The ridge soils are 

 generally heavier than the hillside soils, and are very productive ; but the 

 ridges are generally very narrow, and the hillsides too steep to be readily 

 cultivated, so that it is difficult to find large bodies of land of a convenient shape. 

 A great deal of damage has been done to these lands by the denudation of the 

 soil, which is now being prevented to a great extent by horizontalizing. Deep 

 plowing wilL no doubt, prove highly beneficial on these ridge lands, the subsoil 

 of which is obviously the same essentially, as the surface soil itself. 



703. The great and unusual frequency of the Cucumber tree, with its enor- 

 mous leaves, is the prominent botanical feature of the Hamburg Hills, which 



