340 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. [1743, 744 



forms the soil itself, and contains small grains of gypsum. In this case, the 

 hills immediately bordering on the prairie sometimes show a very heavy, pale 

 yellow subsoil, resembling that found near the gypseous prairies, and forming 

 an evident transition towards the " hog- wallow prairie ". Such is the case, for 

 instance, at several points in the Nichols' neighborhood, Smith county (H 207). 



743. Smith and Jasper. — The town of Raleigh, like Brandon, 

 Is situated on a ridge which forms the last spur, as it were, of the 

 Long-leaf Pine Region, at this point. As we pass from Raleigh 

 on the Garlandsville road, the soft white sandstone (of the Grand 

 Gulf Group — (11227, 243), which near the town forms terraces at 

 the foot of the hills, seems to ascend, and finally occupies the 

 hilltops ; and on descending from the ridge to Shongalo bottom, 

 we find low down on the hillside, outcrops of limestone (1312), 

 accompanied by prairie soil. The bottom of Shongalo Creek (on 

 which, further above, at Austin's mill, marl crops out) though not 

 of a prairie character, shows the increasing liminess of the soil in 

 the prevalence of Mulberry, Ash and Poplar. Near the summit 

 ©f the dividing ridge between Shongalo and Bowland's Creek, 

 there is a terrace formed by limestone ledges, on and below which, 

 for some distance, we see a deep orange-colored, clayey subsoil, 

 containing rounded ferruginous concretions, (as does the Monroe 

 prairie soil — 1336), with a thin covering of black prairie soil ; while 

 the summit of the ridge is formed by narrow and very sandy strips, 

 (Orange Sand), perched on top of the limestone plateau.- -This 

 64 ridge prairie soil " seems to be very fertile, but I have not seen 

 it in cultivation anywhere ; it is very stiff, but not more so than 

 many others. The oak lands which form the lower portion of this 

 ridge, and of themselves are by no means infertile, might readily 

 16e improved by the marls of which the body of this ridge evidently 

 eonsists. 



744. Similar oak lands intervene here, as well as further above, 

 between Leaf River and its western confluents; on the E. side, 

 however, we find, at this point, Long leaf Pine Hills, until we 

 Teach the Nichols' neighborhood (see above) The bottom of Leaf 

 River here exhibits no prairie soil proper, but a growth indicating 

 a calcareous and very fertile soil — which, however, is subject to 

 overflow. Higher up, in TT. 4 and 5, R. 8 E., (on the territory 

 of the Jackson Group), Leaf River and its heads (Hatehushe, 

 Tallabogue, etc.), have black prairie soil in the bottoms and on the 

 slopt-s towards the same. I subjoin an analysis of a specimen of 

 "this soil, which is very productive both of cotton and corn. 



No. 199. Leaf River Prairie Soil, taken at the crossing of the Paulding 

 and Brandon road, in T. 4, R. 8 E., Jasper county. 



Depth : Twelve inches. 



Vegetation : Honey Locust, Crab Apple, Wild Plum, Red Haw. 



A very clayey soil, almost jet black, crumbling readily on exposure, after 

 ■^etfing. 



The soil, saturated with moisture at 70.7 deg. Fahr., lost 14 325 percent, of 

 aamatare at 400 deg., dried at which temperature, it consisted of : 



