PANOLA COUNTY. 227 



in the upper region. An instance of this was witnessed in Rusk County, on 

 the road between Henderson and Pine Hill, in company with Mr. Moss, of 

 Henderson. A cloud gathered above us, and in half an hour the rain fell 

 sufficiently to run in the roadbed, but there was no storm, no surface wind, 

 nor electric phenomena. Passing on a few miles and returning by another 

 road, we observed that the rain was only local, not exceeding a strip of about 

 three miles wide by several miles long. The moist, shaded surface also tends 

 to cool the surface winds, which in consequence do not dry the field soil as 

 rapidly as hot surface winds, which derive their temperature from contact 

 and radiation of large barren areas. 



To bring the soils up to the highest possible state of cultivation, there is 

 needed a continual, systematic method of fertilizing. This could be perhaps 

 most economically effected by restricting the area of tillable land and apply- 

 ing to the restricted area a liberal supply of compost consisting of leaves and 

 pine straw with muck from the swampy places. This could be mixed if de- 

 sired with gypsum or land plaster, of which there is such abundance in the 

 north central part of the State. Some of the greensand marls would also 

 add much to the permanent fertility of the soils by adding their constituents, 

 alumina, potash, lime, soda, and a small percentage of phosphates. If the 

 marls were roasted and ground or beat up fine their effect would be more 

 rapid. Experience demonstrates that higher cultivation is more profitable, 

 even with the added expense of fertilizing and an equal amount of labor. 



TIMBER GROWTH. 



Old field or short-leaf pine. P. mitts, and its congener, the loblolly pine, P. 

 tceda, are the most abundant of the timber trees in this county. The differ- 

 ent oaks, sassafras, locust, hickory, elm, gum, black walnut, willow, and 

 cypress each have their representatives. In 1888 there were nineteen saw 

 mills reported in the county. The total area in acres is 511,360, of which 

 70,228 were reported in cultivation, leaving 441,132 acres. If from this be 

 deducted one-tenth for town sites, barrens, and streams, the remainder, 

 397,019 acres, would represent the timber region. If from this another 

 tenth be deducted for timber already cut and in process of cutting by the 

 mills, the remainder, 357,318 acres, would be an approximate estimate of the 

 area of standing timber. The total value of this quantity is estimated as 

 follows: One-fourth, or 89,329 acres, suitable for lumber, at an average of 

 twenty-five hundred feet per acre, would yield 223,322,000 feet. The re- 

 mainder, 267,989 acres, if cut into cord wood for charcoal, at an average of 

 thirty-seven and one-half cords per acre, would yield a total of 10,050,587 

 cords. If the cord wood be burned into charcoal its value would be in- 

 creased about one-fourth for manufacturing purposes. 

 22— ereol. 



