The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 71 



topography. I don't mean elevation necessarily ; that comes in as a 

 part of the climate ; but I mean the local relief of the country, that 

 character of the country which says you can either use machinery , 

 or you cannot — you can use this land for crops or for pasture. I 

 have no map here showing the characteristics of the topography 

 of Southern soils, but I will use these maps ; and do not let the 

 coloring of these maps divert you from what I am saying; because 

 this coloring does not represent topography at all. 



In general I will say that the topography of the coastal plain 

 is, as a whole, smooth. It lies low and the topography is smooth; Topography 

 but that does not mean that it is flat ; and there are certain areas in of Coastal 

 which the topography is as complex and in which it influences ^'°'" tiegion 

 agriculture as much as in the Rocky Mountain region. 



In Alabama the edge of the coloring here represents the interior 

 part of the coastal plain. That is not coastal plain country, and 

 since this Conference is concerned with coastal plain country only, 

 that represents the northern edge of the country we are considering 

 (pointing to map). Along the edge of the coastal plain is a region 

 where the topography is pretty rough in detail. It is relatively high ; 

 there is abundant rainfall, and that has enabled the streams to cut 

 it up pretty thoroughly. There is quite a percentage of that country 

 that is too rough for cultivation. Then through this belt is the 

 Black Belt and low belt of Alabama. When I say black I apply 

 that to the soil and not to the people. It happens though that both ^^^ '^'"'* "^ 

 soil and people are largely black in that belt. Running just about 

 south of it is a belt of rough country where the country rises sud- 

 denly from the lowland of the black belt, and then southward slopes 

 gradually down to the sea. The North-South coastal plain profile 

 would begin at the North with rough country, and then would fol- 

 low a low smooth belt, and then suddenly it would rise to an 

 elevation of two hundred feet above that region and slope thence 

 gradually to the sea. In addition to these rough belts there are 

 others along each side of all the larger streams. 



In between the country is smooth. Down in this region it is all 

 so low that it is relatively smooth. 



Taking this region as a whole it is a region of smooth country, 

 and Florida is still smoother. 



In Mississippi the same rough belt exists just south of Meridian 

 and extends inward a little way, but gradually fades out. The 

 rim of it extends northward in this direction, flattening out as it 



