260 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



are attributable, chiefly, the results to operators mentioned 

 above. 



The principal shipping points for lumber have been Prince, 

 McDonald and Raleigh, at first, and later the various stations 

 along the Virginian railroad, and Surveyor on the Chesapeake 

 and Ohio railroad. 



Most of the large streams of Raleigh are too rough and 

 rapid for the rafting or drifting of logs. A few were drifted out, 

 however, on the Coal river waters, 20 years ago or more and 

 a few at the same time on the waters of Paint creek. 



The Present Lumber Industry. 



With the completion of the Virginian railroad through the 

 county in 1907, and with the extension of the Chesapeake and 

 Ohio branch to Lester in the same year, the lumber industry 

 was greatly increased. These railroads, with another branch of 

 the Chesapeake and Ohio now being built from Pemberton dov,n 

 the Winding Gulf branch of Guyandot river, have entered the 

 chief timber belt of the county. A band mill erected at Maben 

 in Wyoming county in 1907 and the one at St. Albans, men- 

 tioned above, are drawing their supply of logs from Raleigh 

 county. These mills, including 3 band mills and numerous 

 smaller mills now in operation, are making great inroads on the 

 virgin forests. The combined capacity of all mills is not less 

 than 60 million feet per year. If the cutting at this rate is 

 continued for a few years the virgin areas will be cut over and 

 the farmers ' woodlots and the sparsely timbered areas ransacked 

 for every valuable tree. 



The Present Forest Conditions. 



From the information obtainable in the short time allotted 

 for investigation in this county, 117,600 acres are yet in virgin 

 forest, 112,500 acres are cut-over forest and the remaining 

 128,300 acres are cleared and woodlot lands belonging to farmers 

 and other small owners. The virgin lands lie chiefly on the head 

 waters of Piney river and on the waters of Guyandot in the 

 southern part of the county, and on the waters of Big Coal river 



