TT778, 779, 780] pearl river boils relow monticello. 355 



tint, quite light, but possesses a heavier subsoil, which will retain manure ; this 

 again is underlaid, at fifteen to twenty-four inches from the surface, by a loose, 

 whitish, sandy material with spots of bog ore, to which, in cultivating this soil, 

 it will be important to prevent the plow from penetrating, since it could not 

 thereafter sustain any improvement. 



778. The soils of Pearl River flat below Monticello, are extremely variable 

 («f 662). North of the mouth of Silver Creek they are generally underlaid, at 

 depths varying from eighteen inches to six feet, by tenacious gray clay, which is 

 seen in the beds of the branches. This condition of things frequently superin- 

 duces a great lack of drainage, and we find numerous wet, "crawfishy " spots 

 and tracts, the surface soil being quite light, but its character variable on account 

 of the drainage. It is best where it is underlaid by yellowish loam subsoil, and 

 not by white bog ore materials. 



Between Silver and Green's Creek, the drainage is less defective, and a good 

 loam subsoil generally underlies, which even forms bluffs — e g ., at the mouth of 

 White Sand Creek. South of Green's Creek, the gray impervious clays again 

 approach nearer to the surface, until, at Mr Barnes' place (T[299), they rise in 

 high blufls on the opposite bank of the river. The soil of the horn mock is 

 nevertheless very sandy, especially near the river, where it is most productive — 

 and elevated, usually, about twenty feet above low water. 



779. It seems that between Columbia and Monticello, the greater part of the 

 flat is generally on the east side of the river, the hills sloping off into it rather 

 gradually ; while on the west side the ridges approach within a short distance 

 from the bank, reaching it at Barnes' White Blurt' (*[[299). Lower down we 

 find it two hundred to three hundred yards back, but then ascending very 

 steeply, and forming, at the "Red Bluff" (1T301), the highest point, probably, 

 within sight of Pearl River, in its whole course— at two hundred and fifty, but 

 probably nearer three hundred, feet above the water, and affording a very exten- 

 sive prospect over Marion and East Lawrence. At the foot of the deeply colored 

 walls of the sand and pebble deposits, which form the upper portion of this bluff, 

 there issue numerous springs, which, united into a lively creek, form a succes- 

 sion of cascades in a narrow channel excavated in the gray clays, on the densely- 

 wooded hillside, down to the river level; while on the summit, the Long-leaf 

 Pine forest extends to the brink of the bluff. Taking all this, with the oppor- 

 tunity for fishing and boating afforded by the river, few spots in Mississippi 

 unite as many natural elements for a pleasant summer residence or place of 

 resort. A mineral spring, likewise, is said to exist in the neighborhood. 



780. With the region between Barnes' and Columbia. I am not 

 acquainted. Below Columbia, the soils of the hommock become 

 still more sandy and sometimes acid, approaching in character those 

 of Chickasawhay and Pascagoula in the same latitude (T8U9), 

 though generally more productive ; they vary in belts running 

 parallel to the tributaries (T662), I have collected the soils of this 

 region with considerable care and detail, but as yet none of them 

 has been analyzed — the timber, above Spring Cottage P. 0., 

 generally consists of Bottom Pine, Water, Willow and Spanish 

 ("Red") Oaks, and more or less Sweet Gam and llickory, accord- 

 ing to the quality of the lands. 



The ridges forming Burnett's Bluff and others in that neighbor- 

 hood throw the hommock and bottom, (which begins here, as also 

 does the Live Oak), on the Louisiana side — as is mostly the case 

 south of the base line; the dividing ridge between Pearl und 

 Haholochitto, running quite close to the former stream. 



The first bottom now becomes of considerable width ; in the northern portion 



