University of Southern Mississippi - Southerner Yearbook (Hattiesburg, MS)

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Qlnmieruatinn nf Elinrwta---An Appml HE forests of Mississippi constitute one of her richest assets. Today the manufacture' of lumber and other timber products ranks first among the industries of our state. The future of this valuable enterprise is wholly dependent upon our attitude in the consumption and the conservation of our resources at hand. The United States Forest Ser- vice estimates that under the present system of cutting and wasting the timber, our supply for commercial purposes will be practically exhausted within the short time of thirty-five years. In the light of this fact it behooves our people to study carefully the agents of de- struction and the possible means of effective conservation. The forest fire, which is oftentimes looked upon as being beneficial, is one of our greatest enemies. Fire not only injures and kills the more mature trees, but also destroys the undergrowths and seedlings, which contain the only hope of future replacement. With the fire comes the destruction of soil humus followed by surface erosion. Conservative figures show that Mississippi is sustaining an annual loss of two dollars per acre on all areas swept by the flames. To this estimate must be added the loss from fire spreading to buildings and fences, which frequently occurs. ' Another destructive agent to our forests is the unlimited stock range. Cattle destroy the younger trees that escape the fire, and hogs search for the seeds and roots that lie be-A neath the ground. While these forces are cutting off future possibilities, the present supply of timberise being rapidly and indiscriminately exhausted. We are cutting over our lands, sparing only those trees that are too small for the mills to receive. Many of these are broken down and destroyed in the clearing. In this connection we should like to recommend the forestry sys- tem of Germany. In that country where timber is truly obtained at a premium, no tree is cut until approved by oflicial authority, and provision is made for planting anotherin its stead. Again, the common method of tapping or boxing our pines for turpentine is a very wasteful practice. As a result the trunk of the tree is greatly exposed to fire and insects and its strength is weakened before the storm. Our people need to learn the lesson of conservation, and co-operate with the forces in protecting our woodland. Our Federal Government under the so-called Weeks law has a standing appropriation of 3100,000 among the states in behalf of this cause. Under the liberal provision that each state furnish an equal amount of her allotment, only twenty-one states at present are receiving the benefit of this offer. We should like to call attention to the Work of the Foresty Association of Texas and the laws enacted by her legislature, which might serve as a model for Mississippi. Through the directors of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, a qualified forester has been appointed, who has supervision over the timber interests of the state. This forester with the directors has the power to purchase State Reservations, and to provide adequate means to protect the forests at large from the destructive agents at work. It is estimated that from forest fires alone we are sustaining a loss annually of 13 cents on each EE100 worth of real estate. How much more economical it would be if an equiva- lent tax were used to conserve our resources! We hope the time is near at hand when Mis- sissippi will provide adequate laws and appropriations to care for the forests of the state. Agents of Destruction: Means of Conservation: Fire Federal Co-operation Overflow Organized Supervision Range Reservation Erosion Education Saw-mill State Legislation Tapping Taxation 24

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A Flrin nf Natures iiauurasziurfarv, Emil, nnh Gllimatr MARION CHAFEE ISSISSIPPI belongs to the Gulf Coastal Plain, hence has no mountains and no con- siderable elevations, the greatest altitude being less than 1000 feet. According to Dr. Lowe of the Geological Survey, Mississippi is considered in nine physical divisions, as shown on page 11. The oldest ge :logical formation in the state is found in the rocks of the Tennessee H ills. The onlv other portion that has the appearance of the foot hill formation is Pontotoc Ridge. Around Blue Mountain the hills rise so abruptly above the surrounding country that the highest point seems to be a mountain. Owing to the heavy rainfall, these two sections have been deeply eroded. However, the hillsides are pro- ductive when properly terraced and cultivated, and the valleys are good farming lands. Between these two ridges lies one of the most fertile farming regions of the South, the Black Prairie Belt, over 100 miles long and 20 to 30 miles wide. The soil consists of a rich clay loam, resting on a layer of rotten limestone. The substratum of lime rock serves a double purpose in making this soil productive. It acts as a reservoir for holding the moisture so necessary for summer cropsg and sweetens the clay, making it possible to grow luxuriant crops, especially legumes. The Jackson Prairie Belt is a region similar in soil and surface. Just north of this is the Lignitic Plateau, so called from the underlying beds of lignite. This plateau has been cut by streams, but the entire region can be cultivated and made to yield profitable crops. Lying just east of this plateau is a section known as the Flatwoods, a narrow, level, wooded area, poorly drained, and sparsely settled: while to the west is the Mississippi Delta, a large area of rich alluvial land. The Delta extends from Vicksburg to Memphis and just above Greenville attains a width of 60 miles, having an area of 8600 square miles. Running the length of the state, the Bluj Hills drop abruptly off on the western side to the Delta and River. This vertical weathering is peculiar to the Loess formation, and the soil is very fertile. The Long Leaf Pine section . has an undulating surface and a sandy loam soil except near Pearl River. These soils together with the genial 1 climate cause this region to be es- pecially fitted for trucking and sub- tropical fruits. The temperature of South Mississippi rarely ever reaches freez- ing and the average date for the last 1 killing frost near the Coast is March 1, and for the earliest killing frost, . November 1. In the central and northern part of the state the winter temperature falls lower, while the summer temperature runs higher, but temperatures below zero or above 95 are rare- Courtesy of L. X. N. Railroad The rainfall is heaviest on In South Mississippi the Coast fpage 253, where it reaches 60 inches, diminishing northward to about 48 inches at the Tennessee line. March has the heaviest rainfall for North Mississippi, and July for the southern section of the state. Oc- tober has the least rainfall in both regions. 26