d in
the race districts. In no other state do the blacks outnumber the whites
in the Pine Flats. In Georgia the northern part is in possession of the
whites, as are the Pine Flats. The Negroes hold the center and the
coast. In Florida the Negroes are in the Pine Hills. In Alabama they
center in the Pine Hills and Black Prairie. In Mississippi, Arkansas and
Louisiana they are in the alluvial regions, and in Texas they find their
heaviest seat near Houston. Outside of the city counties we do not find
a population of over 30 negroes to the square mile until South Carolina
is reached, and the heaviest settlement is in the black prairie of
Alabama and the alluvial region of Mississippi, and part of Louisiana.
In Tennessee they are found along the river and in the red lands of the
center, while in Kentucky they are chiefly located in the Limestone
district. Summarizing their location, we may say that they start in the
east-central portion of Virginia and follow the line of the Pine Hills
to Alabama, only slightly encroaching upon the Metamorphic district, and
except in South Carolina, on the pine flats. They occupy the black
prairie of Alabama and Mississippi, and the lands of the river states
with a smaller population in the Oak Hills of Texas, the red lands of
Tennessee and some of the limestone district of Kentucky. It is worth
while to examine one state more in detail and Alabama has been selected
as being typical. The Negro proportion in the state in 1860 was 45.4 per
cent, and in 1900 was 45.2 per cent.

An examination of a proportionate map for 1860 would show that the slave
owners found two parts of the state favorable to them. The first is
along the Tennessee river in the North, and the second, the black
prairie of the center. Of these the latter was by far the seat of the
heavier population. It has already been suggested that this was probably
the best land in the slave states, save the alluvial bottoms. Both
districts were accessible by water. The Tombigbee and Alabama rivers
reached all parts of the prairie, the Tennessee forming the natural
outlet of the North. By referring now to the map of 1900, it is evident
that some changes have taken place. The prairie country, the "Black
Belt," is still in the possession of the Negroes, and their percentage
is larger, having increased from 71 to 80. The population per square
mile is also heavier. Dallas, Sumter and Lowndes counties had a Negro
population of 23.6 per square