52 ECONOMIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA. 



Short-leaf pine lumber. 



Post-oak and chestnut cross-ties. 



Fuel and charcoal. 



Chestnut poles and posts. 



Mine timbers. 



Staves, handles, furniture. 



Chestnut oak tanbark. 



Chestnut wood for tanning extract. 



Chestnuts and hickory nuts. 



The Southern Lumberman lists 21 sawmills from this 

 region, with an average daily capacity of 6,300 feet. The 

 largest cuts only 15,000 feet a day. With over 7% of the 

 total standing timber of the state, the plateau region 

 seems to be producing only a little over 1% of the state's 

 preset output of lumber. Even if the enumeration is in- 

 complete, with the possible exception of two regions less 

 than 1,000 square miles in extent, this one seems to have 

 the fewest mills in proportion to the amount of wood- 

 land, the smallest average capacity per mill, and the 

 smallest total output in proportion to the area and the 

 number of inhabitants. All this is probably due mainly 

 to the topography, which hinders the building of rail- 

 roads. Evidently this region contains a large reserve 

 supply of timber for future use. 



Five of the mills claim to cut long-leaf pine, but this 

 may be an exaggeration, as was intimated in the case of 

 the Tennessee valley. Ten of them cut short-leaf pine 

 (which includes two or three species), 5 hickory, 2 

 beech, 2 chestnut, 13 white oak, 11 red oak, 11 poplar, 

 and 2 sweet gum. 



B. The basin region. 



(Figures 14, 15.) 



This includes the remainder of the Alabama coal 

 fields, comprising the Warrior field proper and the Ca- 

 haba and (3oosa coal fields a little to the southeast of it. 

 The area thus defined covers about 3,300 square miles. 

 It has no exact counterpart in nay adjoining state, but a 

 good deal of the coal region of Pennsylvania and West 

 Virginia has very similar topography. 



