182 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FORESTS. 



CAT CKEEK BASIN (mACON COUNTY, N. C), 



Area. Total, 13 square miles; cleared, 2 square miles; wooded, 11 square 

 miles; severely burned, none. 



Surface. In the lower part of the basin are low, rounded hillj, broken in 

 places by low mountains. Above is a long, narrow valley between high mountains 

 with steep slopes. The stream heads in the Cowee Mountains and flows southwest. 

 There is only one large tributary, which heads to the south of Onion Mountain 

 and flows west into the main creek, about 4 miles above its mouth. 



Soils. The soils in the lower part of the basin are red and stiff loams, 

 derived from schists and sandstone. They are deep and generally free from 

 stones, but wash badly on denudation. Some of this land is badly worn by 

 injudicious cultivation. The soils in the upper part of the basin are gray, 

 generally coarse-grained loams. In spite of the steep slopes the land is not 

 washed badly. There is a considerable amount of alluvial land in the middle 

 and lower parts of the basin. 



Humus and litter. Leaf mold is thin on the south slopes and on the lower 

 hills. There is an excellent ground cover, however, on most of the north slopes 

 and in the coves. 



Agricultural value. The alluvials and the stiff' red lands are productive. 

 The mountain lands are less so. The staple crops of the region are raised. 



Timber trees. The oaks form 50 per cent or more of the forest; chestnut, 

 about 30 per cent; hickory, j^ellow pines, birch, ash, and maple, the greater 

 portion of the rest of the forest. 



Yield. The forest lands will cut about 2,000 feet B. M. per acre. 



Demand. Good oak, ash, and poplar are in active demand for shipping 

 lumber. Yellow pine and low-grade hard-wood lumber are in demand for local 

 use. 



Accessibility. It is 14 miles from the creek to Dillsboro, the nearest railwa}' 

 station, by a road which leads across the Cowee Mountains. 



Cutting. At present no mills are in operation on the creek, but the best 

 grades of timber have already been cut. 



Reproduction. All the trees reproduce well by seed, especially the oaks, 

 chestnuts, and yellow pines. The oaks and chestnut sprout freely from the stump 

 on cut-over land. 



Second grf/wth. There are some fine groves of second-growth pine and a 

 considerable amount of second-growth hard woods in the lower part of the vallej'. 



Undergrowth. The forests are generally open. 



Rate of growth. Both hard woods and pine grow rapidly. 



