370 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. [1822, 823, 824, 825 



than white sand, made to cohere by the roots of the plants ; that of the uplands, 

 for about 5 inches from the surface, is very sandy, but still nsoil ; lower down, 

 however, there is a pale yellow sand, which, like that of the lowlands, is drenched 

 with water ; at least at the season at which I saw them (May). 



822. Such, with but little change, is the character of the land 

 up to Big Bluff Creek. Occasionally, there is a tract of Pine Hills 

 of the usual character, and then we sometimes find, on the hillsides, 

 a stratum of yellow sandy loam, similar to that seen at the descent 

 to Black Creek ferry (1815). Whenever this occurs, there is a 

 visible improvement in the hillside growth ; the Long-leaf Pine is 

 tall and vigorous, and a small fruited variety ? ol the Pawpaw, 

 together with Dogwood (Cornus florida) forms the undergrowth. 



This loam stratum is mostly, however, from 5 to 8 feet helow the level of the 

 uplands, which have the poor sandy soil of the pine hills ; it is, therefore, chiefly 

 the hillsides which might be susceptible of profitable culture. Very few settle- 

 ments have^been made in this region, and the diminutive patches of inclosed 

 land which we see near the settler's cabins, prove that they do not rely on agri- 

 culture for their supply of provisions. 



823. Big Bluff Creek has scarcely any bottom ; its coffee colored waters flow 

 in a sandy bed, which is immediately bordered by the hills, which come down 

 to it by a gradual slant on the N. side, while on the S. it is bordered by a range 

 of rather abrupt hills, the foot of which has been so washed by the creek (which 

 makes a sudden bend here) as to exhibit the geological strata. The lowest, 4 to 

 5 feet, consists of a stiff, gray potter's clay, quite impervious to water; it is 

 overlaid, to the top of the hill, (about 30 feet above the creek) by sands of a 

 light orange tint, of the Orange Sand character. There can be little doubt that 

 the same clay underlies all the wet meadow-land seen further N. as well as that 

 which intervenes between Bluff Creek and the Sea-Coast (if 820). 



824. Pine Meadows. — After ascending the bluff, we strike a level meadow- 

 land, in which there is scarcely any distinction into upland and lowland. The 

 ground is densely covered with a growth of sedge-grasses ( Cyperaceae) Cord- 

 rushes (Eriocaulon villosum) and a small species of Xyris ; in the shallow 

 depressions, both species of Sarracenia (Side-saddle flower and Pitcher-plant), 

 the larger Eriocaulon {E. decangulare), the Dichromena, the long-leaved and the 

 short-leaved Sundew, several species of bright-tinted Orchideae, and some larger 

 species of sedge-grasses and Pond-rushes (Juncvs) are seen ; and with these, 

 occsionally, the Milkweed of the sea-coast marshes (Asclepias pavpercula) with 

 its bright orange flowers. The undergrowth is formed exclusively by the 

 Gallberry, which does not grow to the same height that we find it in Wayne and 

 Greene counties, but is on the other hand, so overcrowded with blossoms at the 

 proper season, that the leaves entirely disappear beneath them. The timber is 

 formed altogether by diminutive Long Leaf Pines, averaging about 25 feet in 

 height by 2}., to 4 inches in thickness, which stand at considerable distances (40 or 

 50 feet) apart, so that their sparse tops scarcely interfere, with the view of the 

 observer. 



825. The first appearance of these glades, when seen in a bright spring sun- 

 shine, with their green carpet variegated by bright colored flowers, is decidedly 

 pleasing to the eye ; and it is difficult at times to dispel the illusion that it is a 

 park laid off by human hands that we are traversing. Almost the only living 

 being, however, which inhabits this region at present, is the prairie-lark ; 

 settlements are few and far between, and no attempt is made to cultivate the 

 soil, the raising of stock being the only occupation of the inhabitants. — As far as 

 the eye can reach, the level plain extends with dead uniformity, and we search 

 in vain for a landmark whereby to distinguish the spot in which we may find 

 ourselves from any other seen for miles around. This sameness very soon 



