270 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FORESTS. 



Surface. In this portion of its course the river flows through a deep gorge 

 between Linville Mountain and Table Rock Ridge. In few places is it more 

 than 2 miles between the two crests of the watershed, and in many places the 

 gorge is more than 2,000 feet deep. The descent of the river is a continuous 

 series^ of rapids and falls, there being more than 2,000 feet of fall in 12 miles. 

 The slopes of both mountains are in all places very steep. There are many cliffs, 

 and none of the land is suitable for farming. 



Soils. The soils on the Linville Ridge are very thin and sandy, derived from 

 quartzite, and the rock generally lies only a few inches below the surface. There 

 are many areas where the rock is entirely exposed. On Table Rock Ridge the 

 soils are mostly from metamorphosed sandstones, and are generally deeper and 

 not so sandy. Over large areas the earth is strewn with loose rock. 



AgriciiUural value. This land has absolutely no agricultural value, and there 

 are no farms on the drainage basin of this part of the river. 



llmnus and litter. There is very scant leaf mold in any part of this area 

 except in the bottoms of a few of the deepest and most protected hollows. Both 

 slopes of the basin have often been severely burned and the tires have destroyed 

 the previous scant ground cover. 



Timber trees. Inferior hard woods mixed with small yellow pines form the 

 forests on all of the upper slopes. In the protected hollows there are small 

 areas of better hard woods mixed with hemlock and some white pine; the only 

 timber trees of an}" value on the ridges are chestnut, oak, and yellow pine. The 

 timber in the gorge is at present inaccessible. It is possible that it might be 

 floated out, but the expediency of this is doubtful. 



Accessibility. There is no road, not even a riding way into the gorge. 



Undergroioth. In a few places there is a dense undergrowth, but the flres 

 keep the woods open except for a year's growth of stool sprouts from the iire- 

 killed shrubs and trees. 



Second grovjth. There is no second growth, except the young trees which have 

 appeared on fire scalds. A great many of these have already been injured by 

 fires; this is the case also with nearly all of the old timber. 



Rejproductimi. Reproduction is poor on all the slopes. It is better in the 

 hollows where the ravages of the fires are not so great. 



Ownership. This basin forms a part of large areas held for speculative 

 purposes. 



Water povjer. This portion of the Linville has a very rapid fall, and high 

 dams could be built in many places. Much of the rock at hand would be suitable 

 for dam construction. 



Prices of land. The price of land is stated to be from |1 to $2 per acre. 



