8 REPORT ON THE TIMBERS OF THE NORTH 
logs of which are cut from the mountains and floated down 
the Cumberland in immense numbers every winter. How- 
ever, I see no reason to apprehend any near exhaustion of 
this timber, if more care is taken to prevent the killing of the. 
young growths by fire, which certainly should be done. At. 
least a dozen species of the most valuable timbers in the mar- 
kets of the world now grow in large quantities on the Black 
Mountain ridges. Their extinction would be even more than 
a State calamity. In fact, Kentucky alone might, at the ex- 
pense of a few hundred dollars, have exhibited at Philadel- 
phia, in 1876, a collection of timbers which would have rivaled. 
the timber exhibit of any foreign country in the quality, vari- 
ety, and value of its woods. 
I deem it best, before commencing a more minute consid- 
eration of the effect of different soils, height above drainage,. 
etc., upon different timbers, to refer generally to some pecu- 
liarities that struck me, in the distribution and growth of cer- 
tain varieties of trees. As black walnut is the most valuable 
of the timbers, I shall commence with that. I made a section. 
across Black Mountain, starting on the Cumberland river, at 
Hezekiah Hall’s, not far from the dividing line between Bell. 
and Harlan counties. My barometer, at the starting point, 
stood 1,870. At a height of about 1,300 baromettiowiecs 
above the datum point, and about 500 barometric feet be- 
low the crest of the mountain, I found a remarkable belt of 
the finest old-forest walnut timber that ] have ever seen.. 
The trees are more scattering now in this belt than they have 
been; for the trunks of several of the finest, which.had fallen 
during the year, were still lying there. There is no under- 
growth of any kind whatever to be found within the compass. 
of this belt, owing to the practice before mentioned of burn- 
ing off the woods yearly. The belt to which the walnut tim- 
ber is almost wholly confined, here,is only of the width covered’ 
by a height of a little more than 100 barometric feet; that is, 
at the lower edge of the belt my barometer registered about 
3,100, and at the upper edge about 3,240. Ona steep moun- 
tain side this forms a very narrow strip of ground. About 
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