THE PORTERS LOAM AND PORTERS BLACK LOAM. 11 



tion of transportation facilities to market. Owing to the markedly 

 mountainous character of the country, only the lower altitudes are 

 served by railroad transportation, and in many instances even the 

 highways and public roads are infrequent and of difficult grade over 

 considerable portions of the region occupied by these types. In fact, 

 large areas of both still remain uncleared and uncultivated, even 

 when their altitude and topographic features are favorable to agri- 

 culture because of the impossibility of bringing the produce of the 

 fields to market. Even within the areas tilled, the different com- 

 munities are, to a large-extent, thrown upon their own resources, and 

 considerable proportions of all crops raised are produced only for 

 home consumption within the limited community, while many of the 

 supplies used by the farm family, which in other regions constitute 

 the objects of commerce, are here produced in the form of domestic 

 manufactures at the homes of the mountain farmers. Transporta- 

 tion, or rather its lack, thus constitutes a very important limitation 

 upon the present utilization of the arable areas of both of these types. 



EXTENT OF OCCUPATION. 



Owing to the mountainous character of the country and to the con- 

 sequent limitations already outlined, only a small proportion of either 

 the Porters loam or Porters black loam has yet been occupied for 

 agricultural purposes. It is probable that, taking the entire region 

 under consideration, not over 15 per cent of the area of either type 

 is agriculturally occupied. The remaining 85 per cent consists of 

 forested areas at the lower and intermediate altitudes up to approxi- 

 mately 5,000 feet and of thinly wooded, stony areas above that 

 altitude. Even within the lower areas only the more gently slop- 

 ing locations and those accessible to transportation have been cleared 

 and occupied, and the attempt to cultivate the steeper slopes has 

 almost universally been followed by the enforced abandonment 

 of such locations through excessive erosion. In such instances the 

 old fields are slowly being reclothed by less valuable timber growths, 

 particularly the Jersey scrub pine and some of the hardwoods. 



It is improbable that, except for the purpose of orcharding, any 

 large additional areas of either the Porters loam or Porters black 

 loam will be brought under agricultural dominion at an early date. 

 Wherever transportation is accessible, however, the properly situated 

 coves and lower slopes, chiefly occupied by the Porters black loam, 

 are being sought for the location of orchards. In Virginia many 

 such coves have already been planted to the Albemarle Pippin 

 upon the northern slopes or to the Winesap and to other red apples 

 and to peaches upon the eastern and southern slopes. Apple orchard- 

 ing has not yet gained such a predominance in the North Carolina 

 areas where the Porters black loam is extensively developed. This 



