WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



275 



age company manufactured staves for their own use for a few 

 years. Three or four stave saw mills are still operating in a 

 small way from place to place. 



Portable saw mills came in with the railroad and have been 

 numerous for 35 years. The Wm. James Sons Company has 

 had a large circular mill at Hinton since 1877. This mill has 

 cut an immense quantity of timber from the Blues tone and 

 from others waters. The only other important operation at 

 Hinton was that of J. P. Mills who operated a small mill there 

 for about 10 years. 



The Crosby-Beckley Lumber Company had a large circular 

 saw mill on Lick creek, and mills at other points, about 12 

 years ago. 



The walnut timber has been largely exported. Samuel 

 Smith and C. A. Fredeking were two of the principal exporters, 

 the former buying extensively in Green Sulphur district, and 

 the latter buying from various localities and exporting to Ger- 

 many. 



The present lumber industry consists, principally, of 1 

 large band saw operation at Glenray — running since 1905 — 1 

 large circular saw operation at Hinton, and of about 30 small 

 lumber and stave operations scattered throughout the county. 

 The smaller mills run irregularly, sawing small sets for farmers. 



Present Forest Conditions. 



There are about 3,800 acres of virgin forest remaining in 

 the county. This lies in scattered areas of a few hundred acres 

 each, principally on the waters of Bluestone river, in the south- - 

 em part, and between Lick creek and Meadow creek on the 

 north. One virgin area on the Bluestone, containing 200 acres, 

 has about 60 per cent of white pine. In all the others hard- 

 woods of various kinds predominate. 



The cut-over forest lands comprise an area of about 7,800 

 acres. The largest area contains 4,000 acres and lies on Green- 

 brier river waters in the eastern part of the county. The other 

 cut-over lands are scattered, like the virgin areas, in the south- 

 western, western, and northern sections. 



Most of the land is owned by farmers who have an average 



