212 THE FORESTS OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



black ; (furniture, ornamental work.) Poplar, yellow ; 

 (shingles and lumber.) I think this wood would be 

 excellent for patterns for foundries, but is as yet un- 

 tried. Ash ; (wagons, handles, panels.) Dogwood ; 

 (shuttles.) Persimmon ; (shuttles.) Wild Cherry ; 

 (furniture and ornamental work.) In addition to the 

 above, the chestnut oak is valuable for its bark for 

 tanning purposes, for which it is more valuable than 

 all other trees. 



Remarks. — The southern one-third of the county 

 of Caldwell, or that part drained by the Catawba 

 River, has a uniform and heavy growth of yellow 

 pine, to the exclusion of every other growth. This 

 covers an area of perhaps one hundred square miles, 

 in forest. 



North of this, on the spurs and in the valleys of 

 the Brushy Mountain range, is a forest growth of 

 great and remarkable variety, embracing all the oaks, 

 poplars, and to some extent nearly all the trees enu- 

 merated above, with the exception of the balsam or 

 fir. The prevailing growth, however, is oak, hickory, 

 and chestnut. 



Still north of this, and between the Yadkin River 

 and the top of the Blue Ridge, come in the walnut 

 and cherry, cucumber, locust, maples, and white 

 pine ; and in the extreme north, along the high peaks 

 of the Blue Ridge, the balsam, which is only valuable 

 for the aromatic and medicinal gum found in blisters 

 on its outer bark. 



As I have already remarked, our forests are greatly 



