LITTLE TENNESSEE RIVER BASIN. 199 



OTTER CREEK BASIN (mACON COUNTY, N. c). 



Area. Total, 10 square miles; cleared, 2 square miles; wooded, 8 square 

 miles; severely burned, very little. 



Surface. The greater part of the valley is rough, the slopes being steep 

 and rocky. There is very little alluvial bottom land. 



Soil. The soils are gray loams, generally deep and fine grained, derived 

 from pyrophyllite and mica schists. On steep slopes they wash badly when 

 cleared, unless kept in grass. 



Humus and litter. Leaf mold is scant on south slopes. The ground is well 

 protected, however, on north slopes and in deep hollows. Around the farms 

 litter is regularly removed from the forests for cattle bedding and as a mulch 

 for crops. 



Agricultural value. Grass, corn, and some of the small grains, especiall}^ 

 rye, apples, and potatoes, are the chief crops. 



Timher trees. On south slopes the forest is largely composed of scarlet 

 oak, chestnut, and white oak, associated with black oak, hickories, and occasional 

 black gum. Scarlet oak and chestnut form about 60 per cent of the growth. 

 On north slopes and in the hollows the growth is largely chestnut, white oak, 

 red oak, and maple, with occasional poplar, birch, and ash. The best chestnut, 

 poplar, and ash have been removed. 



Yield. South sides and crests will cut about 1,000 feet of merchantable 

 timber, largely low grade, per acre; north slopes and hollows from 3,000 to 4,000 

 feet per acre. In addition to this there are about 30 cords of small wood per 

 acre. 



Demand. Poplar, oak, and ash stumpage sells at 50 cents to $2 per thou- 

 sand feet, according to quality and situation. 



Accessibiliti/. Roads can easil}^ be made to timber in any part of the valley. 

 At high water timber can be splashed into the river. It is 7 miles, by the 

 wagon road up Partridge Creek, to Jarrett, a station on the Asheville and 

 Murphy Branch of the Southern Railway. 



Cutting. Much of the best poplar, ash, and oak, and all of the cherry has 

 been cut and either sawed locally by small mills and hauled by wagon to Jarrett 

 or floated down the river to Nantahala. There are two small upright sawmills 

 at present cutting timber, and a small wagon factory. 



Fire. Timber on south slopes has been much injured bj^ repeated ground 

 fires, and much of the timber is stool shoots from this cause. 



Reproduction. Sourwood, oak, and chestnut reproduce well from seed, other 

 species apparently" not so freely. The chestnut, sourwood, and oak sprout freely 

 from the stump while young, when fire killed or cut. 



