198 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FORESTS. 



of the Cheoah Mountains are deeper, and nearly all of the ridge land in culti- 

 vation is on this slope. 



Humus and litter. There is scant humus on the south side of Yollow Crcok 

 Mountain; on the north side of the Cheoah Mountains it is much deeper and 

 generally in good condition. 



Agricultural value. The alluvial lands are not fertile; the}'^ are mucky in part 

 and do not even produce good grass. Most of the corn is produced on the slopes. 

 Corn, grass, and some fruit are raised. 



Timher trees. Oaks, chestnut, and hickorj', with some yellow pine, form the 

 prevailing growth. 



Yield. There is very little merchantable timber on the south slope of 

 Yellow Creek Mountain. The north slope of the Cheoah Mountains will cut less 

 than 2,000 feet B. M., largely oak, per acre. 



Demand. There is no local demand, except for chestnut for domestic use. 

 On account of the distance to Bushnell, the nearest shipping point-, only the best 

 timber can be cut with profit. 



Accessibility. A rough road leads from the Tuskeegee Gap to Bushnell, 

 about 17 miles distant. 



Cutting. Two mills are at present cutting on the creek, with a combined 

 capacity of about 25,000 feet a day. The best timber has already been cut 

 from the north slope of the Cheoah Mountains, where at one time there was some 

 excellent yellow poplar and linn. 



Second growth. There is a small amount of second growth, generally hard- 

 wood sprouts, in the farm woodland, and some second-growth j^ellow pine. 



Undergrowth. The woods are generally open, except where there are occa- 

 sionally thickets of Kalmia or other shrubs, or where badly or frequently burned 

 thickets of sprouts spring up from the stools of young trees. 



Reproduction. Reproduction is good on the north slopes of the Cheoah 

 Mountains. It is scanty, however, on the dry and frequently burned south side 

 of Yellow Creek Mountain. 



Rate of growth. Accretion is rapid on moist, deep soils, but slow on dry, 

 thin ones. 



^Vater j^ower. The stream has ample fall in the lower part of its course after 

 it enters the gorge, and one gristmill is at present using a part of this power. 



Ownership. ^There are 37 families on the stream, who own the greater part 

 of the forest land. 



Prices of land. Agricultural land sells at $6 to $15 per acre; timber land, 

 at $3 to $5 per acre. 



