18.S7.] ^" [Stevenson. 



Pulaski ; Walker, Wolf and Sinking creeks in Giles. Most of these 

 streams carry much water, and for a large part of the year afford power 

 for mills ; but the water-supply is not so regular as it was before so much 

 clearing had been done, and floods are now too frequent. The New river, 

 however, carries a large volume, and mills along its banks rarely suffer 

 inconvenience. 



Agriculturally the features of this region do not differ from those of the 

 area already described, except that, as already indicated, the proportion of 

 rich land is much less. The limestone areas are those indicated on the 

 map by the number 6, all the other portions are sandstone or shale. Much 

 of the sandstone region is abrupt or so rugged as to be worthless for ordi- 

 nary farming purposes, but much of the shale land lies so well for culti- 

 vation that one feels more than regret because it is so thin. In seasons 

 when the "rich " valleys yield twenty-five to thirty bushels of wheat, 

 the " poor " valleys yield only from seven to ten bushels. The limestone 

 areas are admirably adapted to grazing, as the grass is abundant and nu- 

 tritious. The stock interests are extensive, and the cattle bring the high- 

 est price in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York markets. 



As the area described in this memoir does not reach to the West Virginia 

 coal measures at the north, it offers a somewhat shorter list of mineral 

 resources than do the areas previously examined. Clinton ore occurs on 

 Big Walker, Round, Wolf creek and others of the Medina mountains, 

 while brown hematite occurs on the southerly slope of those mountains 

 and to some extent in the Lower Silurian limestones north from the Nor- 

 folk and Western railroad ; but nothing is known positively respecting 

 either the quantity or the quality of these ores. Brown hematite, zinc, 

 lead and manganese ores occur abundantly in the southern part of Wythe, 

 Pulaski and Montgomery counties, where the production of iron, zinc and 

 lead has long been important. Little has been done toward developing 

 the manganese. Coal occurs in the Vespertine along Brushy mountain in 

 Bland county ; Little Walker in Wythe, Pulaski and Montgomery ; in 

 the Peak hills of Wythe and Pulaski ; and in Price mountain of Mont- 

 gomery. It has been mined to a greater or less extent at several localities 

 in Pulaski and Montgomery. Not a little good timber remains, but the 

 charcoal burner at the south and the portable saw-mill at the north have 

 done much destruction without bringing much profit to the owners. 



The only outlet to market is by the Norfolk and Western railroad with 

 its New River branch to the Pocahontas mines, seventy-six miles long, 

 and the Cripple Creek branch from Pulaski to the rich mineral region of 

 Southern Pulaski and Wytlie counties. The topography renders construc- 

 tion of railroads difficult and costly, and the only easy line northward 

 from the valley is occupied by the New River branch of the Norfolk and 

 Western ; but an available route is said to exist from Wytheville over 

 Walker mountain near the Wythe and Tazewell pike. As the mountains 

 are in pairs a promising water-gap in one usually leads to an impractica- 

 ble crossing of the other, and the railroad engineer often finds his wits of 



