116 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FORESTS. 



Surface. Mountainous, excepting the lowlands, which are rolling to hilly, 

 with narrow creek bottoms. 



Soil. On the mountains, derived from gneiss, of good physical quality, and 

 when not burned nor washed, fertile; in the valleys, red clay loam, derived from 

 limestone mixed with alluvium. 



Humus and litter. Light, owing to frequent fires, except in north coves. 



Agricultural value. The mountain slopes are too steep, rocky, and dry. 

 About 5 square miles of the lowland are well adapted to mixed farming. 



Timber trees. Same as in Cherokee Mountains. 



Yield. IjO^ timber, 29,200 M feet B. M.; small wood, 321,600 cords. 



Demand. Best log timber brings $2 per thousand feet on the stump. Sawed 

 lumber averages about $18 per thousand feet on the railroad. 



Accessibility. A railway is in operation on the northern border and a tram- 

 way leads to Limestone Cove. The slopes are steep and rough in the southern 

 portions of this tract. There is much brush on the north slopes. 



Fire. Light fires are frequent in winter and spring. 



Second grmoth. Saplings are abundant, except on the driest ridges and south 

 slopes, where most severely burned and closely pastured. 



Undergrowth. Generallv light, consisting of laurel, azalea, huckleberry, and 

 the sprouts and seedlings of trees. 



Reproduction. Oak and white pine seedlings are most abundant. The forest 

 would reproduce freely, were it not for the fires. 



Rate of growth. Under the present custom of burning and grazing the rate 

 of growth is medium; otherwise it would be rapid. 

 Water 2)ower. Limited and inconstant. 



Occupancy. The foothills and lower valleys are occupied by farmers, who 

 have clearings also on some of the slopes and in some of the mountain coves. 



Prices of land. A common price for mountain land is $2 per acre. The 

 hill farms bring $10, sometimes more, per acre. The best farm land is worth 

 $30 per acre. 



ERWIN DISTRICT (UNICOI COUNTY, TENN.). 



Boundaries. On the north, the South and Western Railway; on the east, 

 the Limestone Cove divide; on the south, the State line; and on the west, 

 Nolichucky River. 



Area. Total, 25 square miles; cleared, 4 square miles; wooded, 21 square 

 miles. 



Surface. ^The lowland, 3 square miles, is undulating to hilly; the remainder 

 is mountainous. 



