PIGEON RIVER BASIN. 155 



sandy loams. The river in this part of its course is rather sluggish, though with 

 few shoals, affording some tine sites for dams. At one of the best, half a mile 

 below Clyde, an inetKcient dam secures about one-half the power. The valley is 

 largely devoted to agriculture. The farms are mostly large and prosperous. 

 Small grain, corn, tobacco, and apples are the chief crops. Many cattle and a few 

 sheep are grazed. The forests are largeh" composed of shortleaf pine, scarlet oak, 

 chestnut, black oak, white oak, and post oak, associated with other hard woods. 

 Nearly all the merchantable timber has been removed, and a considerable portion 

 of the forest is second growth which has followed the chestnut, pine, and oak 

 removed for domestic use. The scarlet oak predominates in the upland forests, 

 and is equaled in size and abundance by the shortleaf pine. The rate of growth 

 on these hills is only fair. Scarlet oak 100 years old showed an average diam- 

 eter of about 14 inches, while the shortleaf pine at the same age showed a diameter 

 of about 18 inches and a height of not more than 70 feet. Woodland has become 

 so scarce over a considerable portion of the valley that the no-fence law has been 

 adopted, and the same is true of a great part of the valleys of Thick Creek and 

 Beaver Dam Creek. The two prosperous towns of Canton and Clj^de are situated 

 in this valley, which is traversed by the Asheville and Murphj- Branch of the 

 Southern Railway. 



CATALLXHEE CREEK DISTRICT. 



Boundaries. T\iQ divides comprising all of the Cataluchee drainage basin 

 and that of Big Pigeon River between Jonathan Creek and Big Creek. 



Area. Total, 67:16 square miles; cleared, 2.16 square miles; burned, 2 square 

 miles; wooded, 65 square miles. 



Surface. Steep mountain sides, with narrow bottoms. 

 ' Soil. Light loam. 



Humus and litter. Light in the lower portion of the v'alley, where it is 

 much burned. Abundant elsewhere. 



Agricultural value. Usually slight. Thei'e are some fertile coves, however, 

 where corn and grass do well. 



Timber species. On ridges, chestnut, 40 per cent; chestnut oak, 30 per cent; 

 white oak, 10 per cent. In bottoms, hemlock, 60 per cent; birch, 5 per cent; 

 white pine, 20 per cent; buckeye, 15 per cent. 



Yield. \jO^ timber, 161,280 M feet B. M.: small wood, 604,800 cords. 



Demand. Local onl}-; very slight. 



Accessihility. Difficult. Log driving was attempted, but has been abandoned. 



Cutting and milling. Cut and left in woods and stream 300,000 feet B. M. 

 Other cutting for local use only. 



