106 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FORESTS. 



Area. Total, 28.25 square miles; cleared, 12.50 square miles; wooded, 15.75 

 square miles. 



Surface. Rolling to mountainous. 



Soil. Dark loam, derived from granite and schists, in general very fertile. 



Agricultural value. Much of this land is well adapted to grazing, and the 

 frequent alluvial creek bottoms make excellent hay meadows. About 10 square 

 miles of this tract are well adapted to diversified farming. Fruits and vegetables 

 do remarkably well here. 



Tirnber trees. White oak, 15 per cent; red oak, 10 per cent; chestnut oak, 5 

 per cent; chestnut, 20 per cent; gum, 5 per cent; maple, 5 per cent; birch, 10 

 per cent; other species, 30 per cent. 



Yield. Ijog timber, 28,640 M feet B. M.; small wood, 198,400 cords. 



Demand. The best log timber brings about $1 per thousand feet on the 

 stump. 



Accessihility. Th^ nearest point of this tract is about 15 miles from the 

 railroad, b}' a rough and hilly wagon road. Logging for the general market 

 will be unprofitable until a railroad is built up Watauga River, through Watauga 

 County. 



Fire. There have been very few fires, except along the crest of Stone 

 Mountain, where the forest is much depleted. 



Second growth. Saplings are abundant, except near the summit of Stone 

 Mountain. 



Undergroujth. Except for laurel thickets in the ravines and huckleberr}" and 

 azalea brush on the ridges, the undergrowth is not dense enough to seriously 

 hinder logging operations, although quite an obstruction to reproduction. 



Reproduction. Oak, chestnut, and beech spring up quickly after close 

 cuttings. White pine, hemlock, and poplar are quite abundant on old pastures. 



Rate of grooiith. Rapid. 



Water po'wer. Abundant on Watauga River, elsewhere only enough for small 

 grist and saw mills. 



Ownership. Nearly all divided into small holdings b}^ resident owners. 



Occupancy. About 140 families are now living on this tract. 



Prices of land. Farm lands bring from $10 to $50 per acre; mountain lands, 

 about $2 per acre. 



KEY STATION DISTRICT (jOHNSON COUNTY, TENN.). 



Boundaries. The divides inclosing the basin of Roan Creek above Rhea Forge. 

 Area. Total, 18 square miles; cleared, 8.50 square miles; wooded, 9.50 square 

 miles. 



