Page 143 - Demo

141South-Central IndianaThe ten counties chosen for this project constitute the very heart of Southern Indiana. The area is filled with beautiful, undulating terrain%u2014the southern hills. The extent and degree of hilliness varies greatly from place to place, with some areas gently rolling, while other places are rugged, with rough knobs and deep ravines.Much of South-Central Indiana is forested with hardwoods such as maple, tulip poplar, beech, and oak. But pines, cedars and other softwood species can be found as well. Flowering deciduous trees, including white dogwood, redbud, and persimmon, are beautiful in springtime. Deer, turkeys, hawks, woodpeckers, songbirds, squirrels, ground hogs, snakes, opossums, raccoons, vultures, foxes, and bats abound in much of the area.Beginning in the 1930s, hundreds of acres have been incorporated into the Hoosier National Forest, a number of state forests, state recreational areas, and state parks (Brown County and Spring Mill). The area is crisscrossed with hiking trails%u2014including the Knobstone Trail, which has been favorably compared with the better-known Appalachian Trail.Many of the townships contain vast areas of cropland and meadows, especially where the terrain is relatively flat. Others have smaller pockets of agricultural land, often in river and stream valleys. Popular crops include corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay, but fields of tomatoes, melons, pumpkins, and tobacco are not uncommon. In places, fruit orchards of peaches and apples are cultivated. Inside fenced grasslands, herds of beef cattle and, less commonly, dairy cows, graze. Also seen are horses, mules, donkeys, sheep, and hogs, as well as a few exotics such as llamas, ostriches, and elk. Long pole buildings devoted to raising poultry have been erected in a number of places.Under much of South-Central Indiana lies limestone. In some areas, outcroppings are exposed to the surface, in other places it is hidden beneath the topsoil. Exceptionally high-