272 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAIT FORESTS. 



Undergrmoth. There is considerable undergrowth in many parts of the 

 valley. 



Water power. The lower part of the river is large enough to furnish 

 considerable power with a high dam, and there are several sites where such could 

 be erected. 



Ownership. The forest land in the lower portion of the basin is held by 

 resident citizens in small tracts; the upper part is held in large tracts. 



NORTH FORK OF CATAWBA RFVER (m'dOWELL COUNTY, N.' C). 



Boundaries. This area includes the drainage basins of the North Fork of 

 Catawba River and of Armstrong Creek. The basin forms a fan-shaped area 

 lying on the eastern and southern slopes of the Blue Ridge. 



Area. Total, 122 square miles; cleared, 15 square miles; wooded, 107 square 

 miles; burned, 8 square miles. 



Surface. On the northwest and northeast are the Blue Ridge and Linville 

 Mountain. Slopes and lofty spurs from these penetrate the basin from the north 

 and west, dividing the upper portion of the basin into a series of narrow, 

 parallel, and often gorge-like valleys. The head of Catawba River, Ijing between 

 Hogback Mountain and Linville Mountain, occupies a gorge with almost precipitous 

 slopes on either side, the crests of the surrounding mountains rising from 1,000 

 to 2,000 feet above the bed of the stream. The lower part of the basin opens 

 out into the rolling country of the upper edge of the Piedmont Plateau. 



Soils. Soils of the western and southern part of the basin are derived from 

 gneiss and schist, and are deep and generally smooth, even where steep. Those 

 of the northeastern part are derived from quartzite, and are thin, sandy, and 

 sterile. 



Agricultural value. Below the junction of Armstrong Creek and the North 

 Fork there are .only a few narrow strips of alluvial land; below there the bottom 

 lands are broader. , The upland soils, where derived from gneiss and schists, are 

 generally productive; those that are derived from quartzite are too thin and 

 sandy to be agricultural. The steep lands lying along the face of the Blue 

 Ridge are largely in grass, though some corn is raised even on the steep slopes. 

 A considerable amount of fruit is raised, and the production of fruit is yearly 

 receiving more attention. 



Humus and litter. In the deep hollows there is much leaf mold. The 

 woodland is subject to pasturage, and this in manj^ places tends to prevent the 

 accumulation of mold by breaking its cover and allowing it to wash. The slopes 



