WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



155 



The Lumber Industry. 



A limited number of water power saw mills once operated 

 in the county but the quantity of lumber manufactured on 

 these was not large. The timber not cut by farmers in an early 

 day, and not destroyed in the tan yard and hoop pole industries, 

 has largely been sawed by small portable saw mills. These be- 

 gan to operate about 35 years ago and 3 or 4 mills are still in 

 operation. 



The stave industry has taken considerable of the choice 

 white oak, once so abundant in the forests of the county. Three 

 stave mills are now operating in a small way. 



Present Timber Conditions. 



Farmers own all the woodland that remains in the county. 

 Perhaps not less than 80 per cent of the land has been cleared. 

 A few of the woodlot areas contain valuable timber but, in near- 

 ly all cases, it has been closely cut, leaving only the small and 

 imperfect trees. 



HARDY COUNTY. 



Location and Area. 



Hardy county was formed from part of Hampshire coun- 

 ty in the year 1786. It is the second county on the border south 

 of the eastern panhandle. Its area is 594 square miles or 

 380,160 acres. 



Topography. 



The surface of the county is similar to that of Hampshire, 

 being a succession of parallel mountain ridges and river val- 

 leys. On the west, followed by the Hardy-Grant boundary 

 line, is Patterson Creek Mountain with an elevation of 3,000 

 feet in some places. East of this, and near the center of the 

 county, are South mountain, Branch mountain, Short mountain 

 and Big ridge. The line which separates the county from Shen- 



