LITTLE TENNESSEE EIVER BASIN. 183 



Water power. The stream is too small to yield more than a ver}' limited 

 power. 



Ownership. The forest land is largely held hs residents. 

 Prices of land. Agricultural lands sell at $5 to $50 per acre; forest land, 

 at $1 to $4 per acre. 



WATAUGA CREEK BASIN (mACON COUNTY, N. C). 



Area. Total, 14 square miles; cleared, 4; wooded, 10 square miles; severely 

 burned, none. 



Surface. Watauga Creek heads on the elevated slopes of the Cowee 

 Mountains, and flows southwest into Little Tennessee River. The lower part of 

 its basin lies within the river hills of Little Tennessee River, which are broad 

 and have genth^ rounded slopes. The slopes on the upper part of the stream 

 are very steep, in many places almost precipitous, and in a few places rock3\ 



Soils. On the upper part of the stream the soils are gray loams, derived 

 from gneiss, generally deep, though in some places shallow and rock}. In the 

 lower part of the basin the soils are generally red, derived from sandstone or 

 schists, in some places sandy and coarse grained and in others stiff* and cla3^e3^ 

 They are deep, however, but wash badlj^ on denudation and when exposed by 

 clean tilling. 



Ilnnnis and litter. In most places leaf mold is scant, as the prevailing aspect 

 is southerly and the slopes are steep, but in the deep hollows at the head of 

 the stream, where protected from drying, the humus is often deep. 



Agricultural value. The bottoms, which are confined largely to the lower 

 part of the stream, are very productive. The red lands produce the best small 

 grain. Corn, however, is the staple crop. The greater part of the steep land 

 at the head of the creek is in grass. 



Timber trees. The oaks compose about one-half of the forest; chestnut about 

 one-fourth. There are small amounts of maple, linn, buckeye, hickory, and ash, 

 and some jellow pine on the lower red hills. The poplar has nearlj- all been 

 cut and the best of some of the other timbers. 



Yield. The yield is about 3,500 feet B. M. per acre, except on the red hills, 

 where it is much less. 



Demand. The local demand is slight. In spite of the distance from the 

 railroad there is fair demand for good shipping lumber. 



Accessibility. It is 12 miles from the nearest point on the creek across the 

 top of the Cowee Mountains, to Dillsboro, the nearest station on the Asheville 

 and Murphy Branch of the Southern Railway. 



