FOREST CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. 37 



Stock is allowed to roam at large, and in consequence the mountain for- 

 ests suffer from fires which are set with the false idea that they improve 

 the range. There is, however, a growing sentiment against this destruc- 

 tive practice. 



This mountainous county, largely made up of absolute forest land, 

 must depend in great part upon its forests as a source of revenue. This 

 being the case, fire protection and improved forest management are of 

 vital importance, not only to the community as a whole but to the lum- 

 ber companies whose timber holdings will usually be retained after being 

 cut over. With an efficient fire warden system, toward the maintenance 

 of which the lumber companies should contribute, the perpetuation of 

 the forests ought to be assured. 



SWAIN COUNTY. 



Swain is the second largest county of the region, and contains some 

 358,000 acres of land, 60 per cent of which is held in large blocks by 

 speculators and lumbermen. Its northern border extends 50 or 60 

 miles along the top of the main ridge of the Smoky Mountains; its 

 southern border is formed by the Little Tennessee River, which sep- 

 arates this county from Graham. The general elevation of the Smoky 

 Mountains is over 4,500 feet. The highest point in the main range is 

 at Clingman's Dome, which has an elevation of 6,600 feet, while there 

 are several other peaks more than 5,500 feet in height. The county is 

 drained by many swift mountain streams, which flow into the Little 

 Tennessee and its two main tributaries, the Tuckaseigee and Nantahala 

 Rivers. These streams come together near Bushnell, in one of the wild- 

 est and most picturesque parts of the mountains that are penetrated by 

 a railroad. 



The topography of nearly the whole county is rough and rugged, the 

 slopes of the ridges being steep, rocky, and often precipitous. The 

 valleys for the most part are narrow, and contain only small areas of 

 bottomland. 



Conglomerates and gneisses are the principal soil-forming rocks. The 

 soil of the lower valleys is a deep, alluvial loam, while on the lower 

 slopes and in the coves a fairly deep, stiff clay soil predominates, which, 

 when cleared, is likely to be eroded. The soil of the ridges and upper 

 slopes is usually thin, rocky, and unproductive. 



Swain cannot be said to be an agricultural county. Corn and hay are 

 grown for local consumption in the little valleys and on the lower slopes, 

 and stock raising is carried on in a small way in the mountains. The 

 best farming land is found in Oconalufty and Tuckaseigee Valleys, 

 above Bryson City, the county seat and principal shipping point, on the 



