WATAUGA RIVER BASIN. L09 



Area. Total, 33.50 square miles; cleared, 8 square miles; wooded, 25.50 

 square miles. 



Surface. Hilly to mountainous, except in very narrow bottoms along the 

 river and larger creeks. 



Soil. A generally fertile, porous, dark loam, derived principally from gneiss 

 and schists. 



AgHcultural value. The creek bottoms have yielded excellent crops of corn 

 and other grains, vegetables, and grass. The hillsides yield good crops when 

 first cleared, but are very liable to wash. About 1,900 acres are adapted to 

 permanent agriculture. 



Timbei' trees. Chestnut, 20 per cent; white oak, 15 per cent; red oak, 6 per 

 cent; chestnut oak, 3 per cent; cucumber, 5 per cent; buckeye, 10 per cent; linn, 

 6 per cent; gum, 4 per cent; maple, 5 per cent; poplar, 1 per cent; hemlock, 7 

 per cent; white pine, 2 per cent; spruce, 2 per cent; other species, 11 per cent. 



Yield. YiOg timber, 64,320 M feet B. M.; small wood, 323,200 cords. 



Demand. A common price for oaks and other hard woods is $2 per thousand 

 feet. Poplar is higher in proportion to quality. 



Accessibility. The Western North Carolina Railwa}^, bordering this tract, 

 affords an outlet. The longest haul to it is about 8 miles, down grade. 



Fh'e. Fires, though frequent, have not killed much timber except near the 

 crest of the mountain. Usually this tract is too damp for severe fires. 



Second growth. Saplings of valuable species are abundant. 



Undergrowth. Laurel thickets line the ravines, and even the mountain slopes 

 are usually brushy. 



Reproduction. Seedlings and sprouts spring up quickl}' after cutting, and 

 valuable species are in large proportion. White pine, spruce, and chestnut are 

 promising species. 



Rate of groivth. Rapid. 



Wate^^ power. Limited to creeks of medium size. 



Occupancy. About 65 families are living on this tract. 



Prices of land. Mountain land is usually valued at $2 to $5 per acre, while 

 in the foothills farm land brings $15 to $30 per acre. 



ELK CREEK DISTRICT (MITCHELL AND WATAUGA COUNTIES, N. c). 



Boundaries. On the north and east, the divide between the Watauga basin 

 and the Elk Creek basin; on the south, the Linnville divide; and on the west, the 

 Tennessee State line. 



