186 



THE ALPINE REGION. 



Of the useful ores and minerals of this section, it may be further 

 stated : 



There are numerous gold deposits, at some of which washings have 

 been carried on with much profit. Vein mining, in spite of many 

 promising indications, has not been regularly undertaken. 



Indian and Revolutionary traditions tell of lead mines, which in former 

 times furnished belligerents with an ample supply of this necessary 

 metal. Unfortunately, these traditions have not preserved the dis- 

 closure of their locality. At the Cheohee gold deposit mine, on the head- 

 waters of Little river, in Oconee county, Lieber examined a very prom- 

 ising vein of argentiferous galena, which he thought might be profitably 

 developed. 



Traces of copper were observed by Lieber on Tyger river, in Spartan- 

 burg county, near the Galena mine above mentioned, and in some mill 

 races in southern Pickens and Greenville. 



Graphite is found on Paris mountain, and also in Oconee county. 



Manganese and iron occur, but have not been explored. 



^^aluable soapstone quarries have been worked to a limited extent in 

 Pickens. Large sheets of transparent mica have been found near Wal- 

 halla, and asbestos of good quality is reported as occurring near Seneca 

 City. 



THE SOILS. 



The soils are similar to those found elsewhere in the State, which are 

 produced by the decomposition of gneiss rock in situ. On the more level 

 uplands, a gray, sand}'^ loam, with a red, and sometimes on the mica 

 slates, with a yellowish white, clay, predominates. On the hillsides, a 

 stiff, red clay soil prevails. In the bottoms, a still darker loam, more 

 thoroughly saturated with lime and potash from the decomposed horn- 

 blende and mica slates, is found. Those bottom lands have long been 

 highly esteemed as yielding abundant crops of corn, the small grains, 

 and the grasses. Little thought or attention was bestowed on the up- 

 lands previous to the attempt so successfully made within the last few 

 years to introduce upon them the culture of cotton. 



CLBIATE. 



According to the physical charts of the ninth United States census, 

 and the rain charts of the Smithsonian Institute, 2d Ed., 1877, this region 

 has a mean annual temperature corresponding with that of Kansas or 

 New Jersey. The more mountainous portions have, however, a mean 

 annual temperature that corresponds with that of Montana, or the lower 



