276 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FORESTS. 



Rate of grovjth. Accretion is slow, except on moist soil in the deep hollows 

 and at the base of the slopes. 



Water i>ower. Although there is ample fall, the streams are too small to 

 develop a large power. 



Ownership. About one-fourth of the forest land is owned by residents; the 

 rest is held in large areas for speculative purposes. 



Prices of land. Farming land sells at $4 to $30 per acre, except the best 

 bottom land, which brings from $50 to $100 per acre. Woodland sells at ^1 to 

 $4 per acre. 



BRUSH, CLEAR, AND CRIB CREEK BASINS (m'dOWELL COUNTY, N. C). 



Area. Total, 68 square miles; cleared, 11 square miles; wooded, 55 square 

 miles; burned, 2 square miles. 



Surface. =The surface of this area is penetrated from the northwest b}- lofty 

 spurs of the Blue Ridge, which divide it into a series of narrow, gorge-like valleys. 

 There is very little bottom or rblling land along the base of the mountains. The 

 mountains are steep and generally rock} . 



Soils. The prevailing soils are loams and loose loams, often coarse grained 

 and gravelly, derived from gneiss and metamorphosed sandstone. They are 

 generally thin, and are not fertile even where the slopes are gentle. The bottom 

 lands are more productive, but in some places thej^ have been badl}^ washed b\' 

 freshets. 



Humus and litter. On the steep upper slopes, especialh^ those with southerly 

 aspects, there is little leaf mold. Fires are not infrequent and hunms is scant 

 over the entire burned area. 



Timber trees. The oaks compose about 50 per cent of the forest; chestnut 

 about 30 per cent. On sunny slopes there is a little intermixture of pine, 

 especially at low elevations. In the hollows typical Appalachian hard woods are 

 dominant, associated with hemlock. In a few localities there is some white pine. 



Yield. The average stand is from 2,000 to 3,000 feet B. M. of merchantable 

 timber per acre, except on the steepest and most stony southern slopes, where, in 

 many places, it is less than 500 feet. In addition to the mill timber there is 

 about one cord of oak and hemlock tan bark per acre. 



Demand. There is an active demand for good timber and for oak and 

 hemlock tan barks. 



Accessibility. The Southern Railway lies only a few miles from the lower 

 part of this area, which is penetrated h\ numerous wagon roads. 



Cutting. The greater part of the timber is owned by a large company, 

 which has just begun its exploitation. Several small mills have cut at various 



