224 FORESTS OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



numerous massive peaks of the Blacks from Eolen's Pyramid to 

 the Pinnacle ; lie on the top of Pisgah ; cover the crests and upper 

 slopes of the Great Smoky mountains and the cross-chain of the 

 Balsams as a nearly continuous forest for a distance of almost 

 thirty miles, and crown the tops of the higher peaks of the south- 

 ern parts of Macon and Jackson counties. From their dark foliage 

 the Blacks and Great Smoky mountains derive their names, and 

 the Balsam mountains from the growth upon them. The lower 

 limits of the forests lie on an average above 5,000 feet above sea 

 level, or a little less. On north slopes, within deep and cool hol- 

 lows, they extend as low as 4,700 on the Grandfather mountain, 

 4,600 feet at the head of Caney river in the Blacks, and 4,500 

 feet at the head of Forney's creek in the Great Smoky mountains, 

 while on bold south slopes, as occur in the Blacks and elsewhere, 

 the broad-leaf trees will often extend as high as 5,300 or 5,500 

 feet. 



Commercially these forests are at present unimportant. 



