Flood Damages to Railway on Nolichucky River, East Tennessee, May, 1901 



were either set aside by the states for 

 some particular purpose, as for the 

 l)enefit of the echicational system of the 

 state, or which have never been sold 

 or patented by the state. These hold- 

 iui^s are, however, usually not well 

 suited for the purpose of permanent 

 forests, in North Carolina they con- 

 sist in part of swamp lands, situated 

 near the coast, and in part of areas 

 of very roui^h or poor land, situated, 

 for the most part, in the mountains. 

 While many of the swamps are large 

 enough to form units of forest man- 

 agement, the soils are generally of good 

 (|uality, and recjuire onl\- thorough 

 drainage to establish them as agricul- 

 280 



tural lands of high value. Moreover, 

 the character of the timber, which is 

 largely black gum, offers, on account 

 of its slow growth, an uninviting field 

 for temporary forest management. The 

 mountain lands which yet belong to the 

 state consist of small and isolated areas, 

 and, as they now exist, could not be 

 profitably managed as commercial for- 

 ests. In North Carolina the state would 

 not be justified in making any exten- 

 sive outlav for the development of 

 either of these classes of holdings. 

 These lands should receive, however, 

 preferential protection from fire. 



It is evident that the state owns only 

 an insignificant pro])ortion of the abso- 



