tic Ocean. The Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, French Broad, 

 Nolichucky, Watauga, and New Rivers, originating on the 

 western slope, flow west and northwest to the larger streams 

 emptying into the Gulf. On the Atlantic slope the main 

 drainage basins are those of the Broad, Catawba, Yadkin, 

 Cape Fear, Neuse, Tar, and Roanoke-Chowan Rivers, 

 flowing south or southeast to empty into the Atlantic 

 Ocean. All of the rivers originating in the mountains are 

 very important sources of hydroelectric power. The broad, 

 quiet streams of the Coastal Plain are navigable by shallow- 

 draft vessels. 



The climate of North Carolina is that of the warm tem- 

 perate zone with local variations partly due to the 6,000-foot 

 range in elevation. The mean annual temperature in the 

 mountain region is 55° F., in the piedmont 60°, and in the 

 Coastal Plain 62°. Extremes of temperature for short 

 periods range from below zero to over 100°. In the east 

 the ocean tends to stabilize the temperature. The average 

 date of the first killing frost varies from October 17 in the 

 northwest to November 16 in the southeast. The length 

 of the growing season ranges from about 175 days in the 

 mountains to 275 days along the coast. 



Rainfall is abundant and its distribution is generally 

 favorable for the planting and harvesting ot annual crops. 

 According to 35-year records the average annual precipi- 

 tation is 48.1 inches at Elizabeth City in the Coastal Plain, 

 48.6 at Salisbury in the piedmont, and 54.8 inches at Bry- 

 son City in the mountains. Within the mountain region, 

 however, are sharp local variations. Highlands, in Macon 

 County, receives about 85 inches per year and Asheville, 

 only 50 miles away, less than 40 inches. July and August 

 are the months of greatest rainfall, but the early spring and 

 late fall months are dry enough to cause a serious fire haz- 

 ard in the forests. In general, the climate throughout the 

 State is favorable to rapid tree growth and year-round 

 work in the woods. 



Natural Resources 



Other than its forests, North Carolina has three main 

 natural resources — soil, minerals, and water. The soils are 

 of a wide range ot types, suitable for a great variety of agri- 

 cultural crops. In their natural condition practically all 

 will grow stands of commercial timber. Those of the Coast- 

 al Plain are derived from sedimentary rocks and are mostly 

 Norfolk, Portsmouth, Coxville, and Dunbar sandy loams 

 with sandy clay subsoils. They possess little natural fer- 

 tility, but are easily worked and produce well when com- 

 mercial fertilizers are applied. Near the coast, drainage is 

 often inadequate for farm cropping, and extensive areas of 

 swamp, muck, and poorly drained sandy loams are and 



F394774 



Figure 4. — Old field loblolly fine growing in mixture with hardwoods on 

 moist bottom land near Wilmington. 



doubtless will remain devoted to timber production. In 

 the piedmont the most abundant soils are the Cecil red 

 clay loams ol granitic rock origin. Other important types 

 are the Cecil sandy loams and the Georgeville silt loams. 

 The greater part ot the piedmont soils were originally suit- 

 able for cultivation, but unwise agricultural practices have 

 resulted in serious erosion, soil depletion, and extensive 

 land abandonment. Erosion experiments in Cecil sandy 

 clay loam near Statesville reveal that 7 inches ot topsoil 

 would be lost in 46 years under continuous one-crop cotton 

 production. 2 Most of the abandoned fields have restocked 

 naturally to pine and these old-field stands make up a large 

 proportion ot the forests in the piedmont and western 

 Coastal Plain. The mountain soils are derived trom the 

 underlying rocks. Porters loam is the most abundant soil 

 type and the texture of other important types varies from 

 stiff clays to sandy and stony loams. Erosion is a serious 



2 Bennett, H. H. soil conservation. 993 pp., illus. New York and 

 London. 1939. 



