24 PEELIMINAKY STUDY OF 



Red cedar is also a common conifer in the various types of this re- 

 gion, chiefly on limestone land. 



A local type of some importance in the northern part of the re- 

 gion might be called " short-leaf pine flats." The soil is a dry, 

 loamy sand, sometimes mixed with clay, and the ground cover is 

 either entirely absent or consists of a thin layer of grass, weeds, and 

 leaves. Dense groups of sumach, sassafras, huckleberry, and black- 

 berry form an irregularly scattered underbrush. Short-leaf pine 

 and black oaks, including scarlet and Spanish, and occasionally a 

 willow oak and some scrub pine, are the chief trees. These are 

 associated with a scattering of other hardwoods and an occasional 

 loblolly pine in moister situations. Short-leaf pine predominates 

 and is the most valuable tree. While the pine is sometimes pure, 

 it is common to find pine and hardwoods mixed, either by groups or 

 as single trees. 



CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. 



The Cumberland Plateau is a high table-land, 5,000 square miles 

 in extent and 2,000 feet in elevation, which lies west of the Valley 

 of East Tennessee and is separated from it by a fairly regular line 

 of precipitous sandstone cliffs. The western boundary, which is 

 also marked by sandstone cliffs, is much more irregular, following a 

 series of projecting headlands inclosing rich coves. The surface of 

 the table-land is cut by numerous ravines and deep valleys, and is 

 especially well dissected toward the north and west. Most of the 

 northern part is drained in a northerly direction by tributaries of 

 the Cumberland. South of Cumberland County the drainage is 

 tributary to the Tennessee River. There are no navigable rivers 

 in the region, but facilities for railroad transportation are fair. 

 The central part is crossed by the Tennessee Central Railroad, while 

 the Cincinnati Southern extends across the plateau north of Har- 

 riman, and then, runs southwest from this point just beyond and 

 parallel to the eastern escarpment. It is also penetrated by 

 branches of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway from 

 the south and west. Probably about half of the land is concen- 

 trated in large holdings of value chiefly for coal or timber, or for 

 both. 



Lumbering and coal mining are the chief industries. Agricul- 

 ture is of minor importance at present. In addition to saw tim- 

 ber, important forest products are cross-ties, chestnut poles, spokes, 

 handles, extract wood, and tanbark. The largest lumbering oper- 



