134 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



hoop poles, and tan bark, all going along with, the saw timber 

 and leaving the land cleared and ready for farming.''* 



The Present Forest Conditions. 



We have a record which says that from a fourth to a third 

 of the timber of Doddridge had not been touched in 1893. At 

 the present time practically all the woodland has been culled. 

 The best timber is now found in West Union, Cove, Central and 

 New Milton districts, where most of the land is held by a com- 

 paratively few private owners. 



The woodlots belonging to farmers are very superior to 

 those found in some sections, of the state, there being a good 

 second growth and in some cases a virgin stand of timber. It is 

 probable that 65 per cent of the area has been cleared for cul- 

 tivation and grazing purposes. 



FAYETTE COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 



Fayette county, formed in 1831 from parts of Kanawha, 

 Greenbrier, Nicholas and Logan, is situated about half way be- 

 tween the center and the southern border of the State. Its area 

 is 775 square miles or 496,000 acres. 



Topography. 



< 



This county, although it lies near the eastern side of the 

 division of the Appalachian Province, having uniform and al- 

 most horizontal geologic strata, is, nevertheless, rendered some- 

 what irregular by erosion. Impressions of visitors to the county, 

 who attempt to view it from the rough and narrow gorge of the 

 New river alone, are apt to be far from correct. In order to gain 

 a full comprehension of the surface formation it is necessary to 

 ascend to higher ground. Here, it will be observed, the surface 



♦ "The Mountain State" — Summers, p. 138. 



