14 ' JOURNAIv OF THE 



og-y it has not even had the critical reading- of the head of the 

 department, and lack of funds prevents my presenting- as 

 many maps as were contained in the paper. 



North Carolina is natually divided in three sections: 

 (l)The Eastern or Costal plain; (2) The Piedmont Sec- 

 tion, and, (3)The Western or Mountain District. 



The costal plain runs inland ab* 100 or 125 miles. 

 "Its western boundry line runs froni iua western part of 

 Warren throug-h Franklin, Wake, Cumberland, Chat- 

 ham, Moore, Montg-omerv, and Anson counties." The 

 whole coastal plain belongs to the Quarternary system, 

 with frequent expanse of the Eocene and Miocene of the 

 Tertiary along- the rivers and ravines. As we go inland 

 the country rises about one foot per mile, but from North 

 to South is almost level. Over the whole section the 

 primitive rocks are covered with a deep stratum of earth, 

 principally sand. Along the western border and river 

 courses we find granite, slate, and other rocks sparingly 

 distributed, but no rocks of any kind can be found any 

 where else in the region. The section is made up of beds 

 of clay and sand with vast quantities of shell imbeded in 

 them. The upland soil is mostly sandy loam which yields 

 very good crops. There are vast areas of sand that will 

 not yield anything but pines. In fact we know that this 

 whole region has in recent geological time been raised 

 above the sea level. ^ 



The Piedmont Section begins on the western edge of 

 the coastal plain and runs west to the borders of the 

 Blue Ridge. It is a rolling prairie in the east and gets 

 rougher towards the west, including some small mountain 

 ranges, the Brushy, Pilot, and King's Mountain. The 

 mountain chains of the western part of the Piedmont belt 

 run northeast and southwest; and as the rivers pass them 

 they form rapids and falls that give excellent opportunity 

 for manufacturers. 



1. Handbook of North Carolina, 1885, published by Board of Agri- 

 culture. 



