LITTLE TENNESSEE RIVER BASIN. 197 



and such a road would do much to facilitate the exploitation of the timber of 

 Macon CountJ^ 



Cutting. There are several small portable mills at present cutting timber on 

 this part of the river, near Cullasagee. Their combined capacity is not more 

 than 25,000 feet a day. Much timber is used locall}^ in building and maintaining 

 fences and for farm use. The corundum works, likewise, require a considerable 

 amount of timber. 



Fire. Some steep south slopes are frequently badly burned and most of the 

 undergrowth and young seedlings killed or reduced to stool shoots. 



Reproduction. The stumps of nearl}^ all of the broadleaf species sprout, 

 unless the trees are too old, and much of the second-growth wood is formed of 

 stool shoots; but seedlings are abundant wherever light conditions are favorable. 



Second growth. In culled woods that are not frequently burned nor too 

 severely pastured there are many vigorous young trees and saplings. 



Undergrowth. Undergrowth is wanting in most of the second-growth woods 

 attached to the farms, but there are man}^ places in the larger forest areas where 

 there is a dense undergrowth of Kahnia and bush honeysuckle. 



Bate of growth. Excellent growth is made on all the alluvial lands and the 

 lower hills, especially on north slopes. 



Water power. There are several sites where excellent water power is availa- 

 ble. Some is at present being utilized. 



Ovmership. The forest is largely divided into small holdings, much of it 

 attached to farms. There are about 95 families within the area. 



Prices of land. The alluvial lands sell at $40 to $50 per acre; the uplands, 

 suitable for farming, at $5 to $20 per acre; timber lands, at $1 to $5 per acre. 



YELLOW CREEK BASIN (gRAHAM COUNTY, N. c). 



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

 miles; severely burned, 2 square miles. 



Surface. The creek drains a narrow basin from 1 to 3 miles wide between 

 Yellow Creek Mountain and the Cheoah Mountains. There are a few narrow 

 bottoms; one near the head of the creek, about one-fourth mile wide, contains 

 several hundred acres. The lower part of the creek passes through a gorge. 

 The mountain slopes rise from the bank of the stream or the borders of the 

 alluvial land, and are generally steep. 



Soils. The upland soils are loose and rather coarse grained and are not 

 fertile. Those on the south side of Yellow Creek Mountain are thin, gravelly, 

 and often encumbered by massive fragments of rock. Those on the north side 



