8o JOURNAL OF THE 



In places, avS at Mount Airy, tlie true ^ranite occurs in con- 

 siderable abundance. The granites and gneisses, except 

 where the latter tend to split into thin layers and crush, 

 are fairly good materials for road construction, improving 

 as they become finer in grain and as the percentage of horn- 

 blende increases; but the best material for road construc- 

 tion is to be found in the trap dykes and syenite ledges 

 which at intervals traverse this region, more especialh- its 

 eastern half. 



The Gneisses and Other Rocks of the Mountain Counties. 

 — The rocks of this re^rion are not greatlv unlike those of 

 the Piedmont counties just described. Over much the 

 larger part of the area rock fairly well adapted to road con- 

 struction is abundant, indeed so abundant that the laborers 

 on the public roads in that region during the past half 

 century have expended the larger part of their time and 

 energy in endeavoring to get this rock out of the way. 

 Had they expended this time and energy in crushing the 

 rock and spreading it over a well-formed foundation, this 

 region would possess at the present tiuie a number of 

 excellent macadamized highways. 



In the more northern counties — Alleghany, Ashe and 

 Watauga — the predominating rocks are hornblende gneiss 

 and slate, but massive syenites are abundant, especially 

 between Rich mountain in Watauga and Negro mountain 

 in Ashe county, and elsewhere. Further south-west, through 

 Mitchell, Yancey, Madison and Buncombe counties, horn- 

 blende schists still continue, but they are more massive, 

 and the gneisses predominate. These are, on the whole, 

 compact and sufficiently tough for use in the construction 

 of good Macadam roads. Aud the statement just made 

 concer;iing these counties is also applicable to Henderson, 

 Transylvania and Haywood counties, and in a measure to 

 Jackson, Swain and Macon counties and the eastern half 

 of Clay count)-, in all of whicli the supph' of good road 



