126 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FORESTS. 



dicious tillage and long cultivation have injured a great deal of it. Much of the 

 land farther up the river is too sandy and coarse grained to 3'ield heavy crops; 

 but corn, small grain, and apples are extensively cultivated and do well, except 

 at high elevations. 



Timhei' trees. Scarlet oak, white oak, chestnut, and sourwood form the 

 greater part of the forest on the drier soils at low elevations. Hemlock, with 

 tj'pical mountain hard woods, form the forests in the hollows on cool north 

 slopes. On the northeast, slope of the Black Mountains there are several hundred 

 acres of spruce. There is some white pine on the drier sandy soils, a few 

 miles above the mouth of the river. Sevenmile Ridge is lightly timbered, and 

 in spite of the favorable aspect there is very little heavy timber in the deep 

 hollows at the head of the river. The heaviest timber is on the northwestern 

 slopes of the Black Mountains. 



Yield. The forest will cut about 3,000 feet B. M. per acre. 



Demand. Good grades of hard wood and white pine are in demand. Oak, 

 poplar, birch, linn, and chestnut bring from 50 cents to %'6 per tree, according 

 to the size and accessibilit3\ 



Accessibility. The lower part of the basin is traversed by many roads. The 

 upper part is accessible h^ . a road going up the river from Micaville and by a 

 road across Sevenmile Ridge to Marion, on the Southern Railwaj^, 30 miles 

 distant. None of the roads are at present in good condition on account of the 

 severe rains of the past season. 



Cutting. TYiQ best poplar has been largely culled from the entire area, and 

 mills are preparing to enter and cut the other hard woods. 



Second growth. Second growth is confined to the farming lands in the lower 

 part of the basin, and consists largel}^ of white oak, chestnut, and scarlet oak 

 sprouts. 



TJndei'grotcth. There is a dense undergrowth of rhododendron and Kalinia on 

 much of the steep land at the head of the river. 



Reproduction. Most of the species reproduce well, though in places fire 

 tends to check them. 



Rate of grovjth. Accretion is normal for the aspect and elevation. 



Water pouter. The river has man}^ rapids and several available sites for 

 dams. It is too small a stream to yield more than a limited power. 



Ownei'sliip. There are some large tracts at the head of the river held by 

 nonresidents, but most of the land is owned by people living in the count3^ 



Occ^ipancy. The lower part of the basin is thickly settled, but the upper 

 part has only a few farms. 



