RECLAIMING OVEEFLOWED LANDS IN MISSISSIPPI. 5 
•As ill most of the Southern States, cotton is the principal agricul- 
tural product, its acreage exceeding that of all other crops combined. 
Next to cotton, corn is the most important crop, although the pro- 
duction scarcely meets the local demand. Oats, cowpeas, and sugar 
cane are all grown to a limited extent, but are gradually increasing 
in acreage. In the vicinity of Durant the trucking industry has been 
developed to some extent, considerable quantities of strawberries, 
cabbage, peas, beans, etc., bemg profitably grown. The planters are 
becoming interested in live stock and small quantities of lespedeza 
and alfalfa are being planted. The injurious effect of the boll weevil 
on cotton has led more toward diversified cropping during the last 
five years. 
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. 
Several railway lines traverse various portions of the district. At 
each of the larger towns bordering the district and at one or two 
other points public highways are maintained across the bottoms. In 
all cases where any attempt is made to promote traffic during the 
winter months the cost of maintenance is very great, and even then 
many of the roads are impassable during the winter and spring sea- 
sons. Drainage improvements will, to a large extent, remedy these 
conditions. 
PRESENT DRAINAGE CONDITIONS. 
Under present conditions a heavy rainstorm, lasting from two to 
three days and extending over the entire watershed of the Big Black 
Kiver, will cause a severe flood, covering from 75 to 100 per cent of 
the bottom lands to a depth of from 3 to 8 feet. Unusually heavy 
local rains, although extending over only a small part of the water- 
shed, wlU often cause floods over the adjoining bottoms below the 
area affected by the storm. Floods occur most frequently during 
the winter and spring seasons, the water often covering the lowlands 
for a month at a time. From May to November overflows are less 
frequent, although several ruinous summer and fall floods have 
occurred. Thus there is great risk in planting crops on the lower 
land, and it is not entirely safe to plant on the more elevated por- 
tions of the bottom. So often have losses been sustained that it is 
now difficult to find anyone who will finance the working of the land. 
Throughout the district the bottom lands of the streams tributary 
to the river are overfiowed at all seasons of the year to a depth of 
from 1 to 3 feet. In the smaller creeks, from 1 mile to 8 or 10 miles 
in length, the overflow usuaUy starts a short time af tei* a heavy rain 
begins, and continues from four to five hours after the rain ceases. 
On account of their more extensive watersheds the lowlands along 
the larger tributaries, such as Bywy, Apookta, and Doaks Creeks, are 
flooded from one to two days after each severe storm that lasts a day 
or more. 
