Southern Medical and Surgical Journal - Georgia Regents University

1858.] Epidemic Diseases of the State of Georgia. 107M The growth of these islands is live-oak, water-oak, bay, gum,and pine. The live-oak predominates on the southern parts ofthe islands, almost to the exclusion of the pine ; while this lastis found at the northern end," The soil is a grayish and yellowish-brown sand, mixed withshells and vegetable mould, without any mixture or substratumof clay. This soil, for the most part, is thin, extending onlya few inches in depth." These islands are separated from the mainland by extensivesalt-marshes, which are intersected by numerous creeks, andoverflowed by every high tide." The islands are also separated from each other by sounds,or arms of the sea, which are the outlets of the rivers to theocean."Leaving the islands, and crossing over to the main, we enterupon another section or strip of country, varying in its topo*graphical features from the islands ; a low pine-barren, intersectedwith the rivers and swamps before mentioned."The growth of these barrens is the short-leaved pine, mimgled with scrub-oaks and gums. The soil is sandy, with hereand there a sprinkling of red clay." In wet seasons, while the swamps are full of water, thisEine-barren soil is kept in a sobbed state, the drainage being bady reason of its flatness."Passing across this section, inland, twenty or thirty milesin width, we strike a somewhat more elevated and rolling regionof sand-ridges and hills, intersected with bay-galls and branches,and sometimes ponds," The soil is sandy, with a substratum of clay at varyingdepths. The long-leaved pine takes the place of the short, andpredominates, to the exclusion of almost every other tree."The mainland adjoining the salt-marshes, which divide itfrom the Sea Islands between the Savannah and AltamahaRivers, usually commences with a line of bluffs, which risestwenty or thirty feet above the level of high water, separatedby arms of salt-marsh and small streams of fresh water, carryingthe water springing from a line of sand-hills twenty or thirtymiles further inland.These streams have a tide flowing a distance of ten or fifteenmiles above the bluflfe, and for about the same distance furtherthey are margined by a fresh-water marsh and swamp, from halfa mile to a mile in width, with strips of higher land betweenthem, which are of an older formation than the alluvium of theswamps, this last being yet in the process of deposit.Some of these strips of higher ground are remarkable for thegrowth of plants not usually found growing so near the seacoast.