Black Belt, term applied to several areas of Miss. and Ala., the heart of the Old South, which are characterized by black soil and excellent cotton-growing conditions. The Black Belt area was historically important as the nation’s main cotton producer in the mid-1800s. Soil depletion, erosion, the boll weevil, and economic conditions combined to eliminate the region’s lead as a cotton producer (W Texas and Calif. are now major producers). Livestock, poultry; peanuts and soybeans have become important crops in area.
