The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1884-10-25
NO. IA

1 -
We have said above that the Mississippi River
receives none of the drainage water of this
great bottom plain the whole YazoO BOttom) until
it has all accumulated in the YazoO This arises
from consideration which it may be of interest to
explain, nasmuch as il is the marked characteristic
of the surface structure of the whole bottom, viz.
that each stream has its bed in the axis of ridge
which accompanies it throughout. In other words,
that the banks of streams in this bottom form ridge
higher than the land further back. This ridge is
made up of the deposits of the stream ITSELF and
from it the land slopes of gently, until midway be-
tween the two water courses, usually find cy
press swamp, lying from two to six feet below the
banks, aud sometimes even below the ordinary wa
ter level of the streams.
What is true of the smaller streams or bayous
holds no less, of course, as regards the larger
streams and the great Mississippi itself. Hence it
arises that tho bank Of the Mississippi River at Mel
rose Landing in Bolivar county, is twenty feet above
that of the Yazoo due east from that point; while
the banks of the Ouachlta River, Monroe, Lou.
isana, are about ten feet below .he level OF the
banks of the Mississippi near the mouth of the
iazoo Examination has shown that the dark col.
ored clay stratum from which the "buck shotn soil il
derived underlies the whole Mississippi Bottom.
formed evidently when the whole of this bottom
country was swamp. AS the waters receded the
various streams excavated their beds in this level
plain Qevel except it had, and has a gradual decline
TO the southwark and upon it deposited their allu.
vium' This consideration explains the fact curious
IN ITSELF that cross section of the bottom from the
bluffs to the Mississippi shows that the banks of the
Mississippi are higher than any other portion of the
bottom, and that their level is more or less nearly
approached by the banks of other streams, about in
accordance to their relative size The difference of
level is not excessive Twenty feet is about the
limit; fifteen more nearly the average. But clearly
explains the fact that the drainage of the entire bot
tom accumuates in the Yazoo before any of It en-
ters the Mississippi
This process of bank formation carefully consid
ered enables ono to keep clearly before the mind
tho surface structure of the bottom The surface of
the entire region is apparently level but each stream
or bayou repeats on small SCALE the feature Of the
main river above referred to- viz: ii is bordcred by
q ridge formed by its own deposits, higher than the
'back country" intervening between it and its next
f neghbor, which "back country is usually in part at
least, occupied by low lands
, DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
There are three chief drainage systems, parallel
with each other, all of which bound or penetrate
Washington county, all finally unite with tho main
: Yazoo and empty into the Mississippi. These are
1s the basin traversed by the upper Yazoo and in
this system Washington county bears but small
part only the southwest portion small but admir-.
able body of land being directly connected with IT,
2nd the Sunhower Basin and its tributaries, occu
pying large central region, reaching to the Deer
Creek Ridge the west and the Yszoo on the east
and passing through the middle of Washington
county. 3rd the Black and Steele's Bayou Basir
running through Washington county from end tc
end, and draining all the lands lying between Deer
Creek and the river. All of these three main sys
TENS are parallel with each other and parallel with
D the Mississippi Rivers Deer Creek lying nearest the
y Mississippi, the Sunfowcr in the middle, and tn,
Yazoo the east and each untes within il seve ra
tributaries The swampy land lying in the middle
y rego between these streams is heavily tmbere,
) with cypress on either side the swamp, and reach
ing to the ridges is dense forest growth, offer
accompanied by thick underground of cane, (can
y brakes) which comprises great variety of trees
>, according the land is of the rich buckshot char
I, acter of the Deer Creek region, the "wbite land
u variety of the Snnaower Basin or of the dark loan
of the Yazoo. The ridges themselves are also heay
lily timbered with sweet gum, oak, maple, etc.
The large proportion Of the population and o
the lands under cultivation within the region, i
found along the highlands that border the Missis
: sppi River and along Deer Creek. Here, too arr
the great cotton plantations where the largest por
on of the cotton is produced; its acreage compris
ing from 10 to 20 per cent? more, of its toa
! area Cotton is above all others the crop of thi
:, region. Twothirds 66 per cent. of the total cult
vated being devoted to the cultivation of thi
fiber. Here in the census year the yield in thes
portions brought up the average of the county t
ii Alb lbs. of lint cotton per acre.
- SOIL VARIETIES
=. A DARK GREY SANDY LOAN, forming the IRON
10 lands of the Mississippi and of many of the creek
H. and bayous. Timber growth chiefly honey-locus
To- blackberry and sweet gum.
IN A LIGHT CoLORED SANDY CLAY, or fine sedmen
k of close texture with few yellow spots The grow
,e is chiefly swamp chestnut oak and sweet gum, wit
- some ash, maple and willow oak This is the soil O