AGRICULTURAL SUB-DIVISIONS OF THE COTTON BELT. 65 



Near the coast in Louisiana and Texas, and in some parts of the allu- 

 vial region of the Mississippi and its tributary rivers, the Drift itself in 

 turn has been covered with still more recent deposits, a kind of river- 

 swamp or Gulf-swamp formation, from which some of the most impor- 

 tant soils of these localities have been directly derived. 



Agricultural subdivisions. — The agricultural characters of the 

 Cotton States may be described under the following heads : 



1. The alluvial region^ including — 



a. The alluvial region of the Mississippi and other large rivers. 



b. The marsh region of the coast and lakes. 



2. The loicer prairie region, including— 



a. The central prairies of Louisiana and the coast prairies of 



Texas. 



b. The prairies and savannas of Florida. 



c. The llano estacado and gypsum lands of Texas and the Indian 



Territory. 



3. The long-leaf pine region, including — 



a. The long leaf pine hills and flats. 



b. The oak and hickory uplands with long-leaf pine. 



c. The hammocks of Florida ; the shell prairies, lime hills, and 



red lime lands of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. 



4. The oak uplands region, including— 



a. The oak and hickory uplands with short-leaf pine. 



b. The table lands of Mississippi and Tennessee, and the Cane 



Hills or Bluff region. 



5. The upper prairie region, including — 



a. The black Cretaceous i)rairies of Texas, Mississippi, and Ala- 



bama. 



b. The blue marl lands and hill prairies (Pontotoc Eidge and 



Chunnenugga Eidge of Mississippi and Alabama). 



6. The red and broicn loam region, based on the older limestone forma- 

 tions, including — 



a. The red loam lands of the Tennessee Basin, of th e valley of East 



Tennessee, of the Coosa Valley, and of the Tennessee Valley 

 in North Alabama. 



b. The red loam uplands and prairies of Arkansas, Indian Terri- 



tory, and Texas. 



7. The sandy and siliceous lands of the older formations, including — 



a. The cherty limestone lands and "barrens" of Tennessee, Geor- 



gia, and Alabama; the cherty lands and their prairies of 

 northern Arkansas. 



b. The Carboniferous sandstone soils of Alabama, Tennessee, 



and Georgia. 



c. The sandy prairie region of Indian Territory. 



8. The gneissic region. 



63 CONG 5 



