HIWASSEE RIVER BASIN. 245 



Cutting. A small mill is now operated, cutting what logs maj^ be brought 

 to it for sale b\' the farmers and mountaineers. The bottoms have been cleared of 

 valuable log timber to make wa\' for farming. The lower mountain slopes have 

 been considerably culled for local use. 



Fire. Man}' fires have seriously injured the greater portion of the forest. 

 The western hills are reduced almost to brush land. 



Ri'pTodnetion. Reproduction is free on the cuttings that have not been 

 repeatedly burned. The old clearings are being covered slowly by persimmon, 

 sassafras, the oaks, and scrub pine. 



Second gwwth. Deficient, owing to fire. 



UndergnriDth. Very light. 



Rate of growth. Slow. 



Water jmimr. The creek in October, 1900, was 25 feet wide and 6 inches deep 

 and quite rapid. It is subject to great floods and is of questionable value for power. 



Ownership. Nearl}^ all of the tract is held by the several residents of this 

 valley and the adjoining lower region. 



Prices of land. The best farm land is valued at $20 per acre, but the 

 mountain lands are held at a very low figure. Fifty cents per acre might buy 

 some large tracts. 



FIRES CKEEK DISTRICT (CLAY COUNTY, N. c). 



Boundaries. The divides including the entire drainage basin of this stream 

 and that portion of the Hiawassee River drainage in Clay County below Fires 

 Creek. 



Area. Total, 23 square miles; cleared, 1.33 square miles; wooded, 21.67 square 

 miles. 



Surface. Only about 5 square miles are smooth enough to l)e arable. The 

 remainder consists of mountain slopes, usually steep and rocky. 



Soil. The bottoms are fairly fertile, but the soil on the ridges is light and 

 poor. 



llurims and litter. Scant, owing to customary fires and grazing. 



Agricultural value. Corn crops are seldom over 20 bushels per acre, and 

 hay and fruit yield well only on north slopes. The difficulty of cultivation and 

 access renders this land of little value for agriculture. 



Timhe^' trees. Substantiall}^ the same as on Peachtree Creek. 



Yield. Ijog timber, 24,747 M feet B. M.; small wood, 208,020 cords. 



Demand. The best and most accessible poplar, ash, chei-r}^ and cucumber 

 are sold for $1 per thousand feet on the stump. Other log timber is not salable 

 on the stump. 



