WEST VmGINLV GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



157 



of good pine. White oak and chestnut oak were the leading 

 timbers, both growing abundantly, the former in nearly all sec- 

 tions and the latter on dry ridges and exposed mountain faces. 

 The stand of timber per acre on the remaining virgin tracts 

 varies from about 500 feet to 5,000 feet. A stand of .timber far 

 in excess of this once occupied the rich lands that have been 

 cleared for agricultural purposes. 



The original forests of the county, as indicated by the large 

 virgin areas still to be found on some of the mountains and in 

 the farmers' woodlots, were preeminently forests of oak. The 

 12 species of oaks named below were observed during a 2 hour's 

 drive near Moorefield on September 10th, 1909 : 



Red Oak (Quercus rubra). 



Pin Oak (Quercus palustris). 



Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea). 



Black Oak (Quercus velutina). 



Scrub Oak (Quercus nana). 



Shingle Oak (Quercus imbricaria). 



White Oak (Quercus alba). 



Post Oak (Quercus minor). 



Mossy-cup Oak (Quercus macrocarpa). 



Swamp White Oak (Quercus platanoides) . 



Chestnut Oak (Quercus Prinus). 



Yellow Oak (Quercus acuminata). 



Another species, the Black Jack Oak (Quercus Marilan- 

 dica) is reported by Dr. C. F. Llillspaugh from the same lo- 

 cality. 



The Lumber Industry. 



The lumber business in this area which, until within the 

 present year has been far removed from railroads and other 

 means of rapid transportation, is not comparable with the 

 enormous industry which exists in many other parts of West 

 Virginia. Naturally, there never have been any large mills in 

 the county, and all the savring, so far, has been done by the old- 

 fashioned upright water saw mills and by small portable steam 

 mills which were hauled in on wagons and by traction engines. 

 The first steam saw mill was brought in by F. B. Welton and 



