78 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN F0EEST8, 



Demand. Slight. Too far from market. 



Accessibility. The south slope of Buck Mountain is very steep, and there is 

 much laurel brush on moist land. Otherwise logging- is not difficult, but the 

 Qistrict is remote from rail. 



Fire. Burns are common but not severe, except on the south slope of Bull- 

 head. 



Second growth. Deficient, owing to the great number of old and defective 

 trees. 



Undergroivth.^Much laurel in ravines; huckleberry brush and seedlings on 

 ridges. 



Reproduction. Deficient, owing to brush and fire. 



Rate of growth. Medium. 



Water power. Scant; enough for sawmills and gristmills only. 



Ownership. Mostly held by resident farmers. 



Occupancy. About 35 families living on this tract. 



Prices of land. From 50 cents to |15 per acre. 



SOUTH FORK OF HOLSTON RIVER BASIN (SOUTHERN TRIBUTARIES ONLY). 



Topography . This area comprises the northern slope of the Unaka Range, 

 between Watauga and New rivers, and is principally a long, narrow strip of 

 steep mountain side, having a northern exposure and altitudes of from 2,500 

 to nearly 6,000 feet. In addition to this uniform tract this drainage system 

 comprises the semicircular portion of the plateau drained by Beaver, Tennessee 

 Laurel, Green Cove, and White Top Laurel creeks, which join and cut through 

 the mountain range near Damascus, Va. 



Erosion is less marked in this area than in most others, a fact which is 

 probably due to the larger proportion of woodland. 



Tennessee Laurel Creek is, however, subject to sudden rises, flooding the narrow 

 bottom lands and endangering the lives of travelers who must cross the numerous 

 fords in the gorge. There is also much erosion of soil on the older neglected 

 fields of the tributaries of Tennessee Laurel Creek, and on the poor portions of the 

 foothills of Holston Mountain. 



This district has an area of 233,280 acres, of which 77 per cent is wooded. 



Soil. In this area are two distinct classes of lands, mountain slopes and 

 valleys. The mountain slopes, steep and, principally underlain by quartzite, have 

 light soil with thorough drainage both on surface and underground, while the 

 valleys have deep, loamy, and remarkably fertile soils. 



Agriculture. On Tennessee Laurel Creek substantially all the arable land is 

 under cultivation, but along Shady Valley and White Top Laurel creeks, only a 



