The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1872-12-20
Che Marietta gunrnal.
For the Marietta Journal.
THE SOUTH.
Considered as to Resources.
II.-BY w. C. S.

DIVIDED into three great dlStmcl
classes, viz: The Low Country
lands, the Up Country lands and
the Mountain lands. Let us first
notice the lOV lands and their re-
sources, both mineral and agricul-
tural.
The Low Country of the South is
bounded on the north by line run
ming through the States in the fol-
lowing directions; first, it crosses
the Potomac at Alexandria, near
Washington, and turns southeast to
Fredericksburg, thence south TO
Richmond, thence through Peters
burg to Weldon, N. c., thence
southeast to Goldsborough, thence
southeast through Fayetteville to
Cheraw, S. c., thence east TO Cam
den and Columbia, thence southeast
to Augusta, Ca, Milledgeville, Ma
con and Columbus, thence to We
tumpka and Tuscaloosa, Ala, to
Aberdeen, Grenada, and Holly
Springs, Miss, to Fort Henry,
Tenn, where it strikes the line of
Kentucky.
West of the Mississippi the line
reappears in Arkansas at Battle
vile, running southwest through
Little Rock, Arkadelphia and Full
ton to Sherman and Waco, Texas.
The line then defects to Austin and
San Antonio, striking the Rio
Grande River opposite Camargo,
Mexico. In Virginia and all the
other Southern States, all this low
land, except on the borders of riv>
ers and lakes and in swamps is
nothing but fat sandy plain COW
cred with pines. In Mississippi,
Louisiana and Tennessee, however,
much good cotton is produced on
this sandy soil. In Virginia there
is little cotton raised on it also
and the swamps and the lake and
sea shores are belted with a rich
strip of alluvium producing sugar
cane in all of the States and cocanuts,
oranges, and bananas in Florida and
Louisiana. Rice is raised in the
swamps of this section. The cele-
brated sea and land Cotton is raise d
on that net work of small Islands
along the coast from Charleston to
St. Augustine. In the stronger por-
tons of this sand region in Georgia,
Alabama and Florida excellent cot
ton is also raised. The vast alluvial
deposits of the Mississippi in Louis
lana and Mississippi comprise the
best cotton land in the South. Lum-
Der, tar and rosin may always be a
profitable source of revenue to the
inhabitants of the Low Country.
The Middle or Up Country is the
most thickly settled of the three di-
visions and contains the greatest We
riety of products, beth agricultural
and mineral. This extensive tract
is bounded on the west in the At
lantic States by line crossing the
Potomac at Harper's Ferry and run
ming along the top Of the Blue
Ridge tie Gainesville, Ca, where it
turns to the westward along the ALA
toona and Dug Down Mountains, to
the Alabama line, thence proceed
ing westward to Gadsden, Ala,
Florence, Ala, and north to Sparta,
Tenn, thence to the Kentucky line.
West of the Mississippi River it be-
gins in Arkansas on the summit of
the Ozark mountains thence running
southwark to the Arkansas River at
Dardduello, thence South to the Hot
Springs, where the mountains sink
into insignificant hills. The middle
country in Texas is extensive being
bounded on the west by the great
Leland Estasado and the Guadalupe
Mountaing.
The soil of this section is a clay
loan, generally of a dark red color,
mixed with yellow and white clay in
spots, and it has been long noted for
its strength. The ruinous system
of agriculture before the war great
ly damaged the top soil Of this
section, but with care it may soon
be made what it once was, the most
delightful and productive region of
the South. In western Alabama
this reddish color SO prevalent fur
Their east is exchanged for one of a
dark brown or black color and this
color is preserved in Mississippi and
the other States to the westward
with occasional exceptions in each
State.
In Virginia great quantities Of to-
bacco and corn are raised on this
soil. In North Carolina and Ten
nessee, cotton is grown beside the
corn and tobacco. In the other
States wheat, corn, cotton and oats
are raised in large quantities, es-
pecially corn, as this is the great
corn country of the South. In this
division we find gold in considerable
quantities in Virginia, North Caro-
lima and Georgia. Iron is found in
soma abundance in Georgia and