74 



SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. 



trees and uiidesii-able .species. Fires are preventing a 

 good growth on large portions, althoughi they are seldom 

 so sevei'B as to kill much timber. The few areas that ai'e 

 in good forest condition are merely enough to illustrate 

 what forestry' might do. 



Reprodioction. — Vigorous sprouts, seedlings, and sap- 

 lings abound on old cuttings and burns, and prevention 

 of fire and some judicious thinning would soon develop 

 a forest that would justify transportation companies in 

 building railroads to haul its products to market. 



NOIilCHUCKY RIVER BASIN. 



[569,920 acres; 76 per cent wooded.] 



Topography. A large portion of this basin lies within the mountain 

 region. Its three principal tributaries, North Toe, South 

 Toe. and Caney rivers, as well as several creeks of large 

 size, are entirely between the rims. Mount Mitchell, the 

 highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains, and Roan 

 Mountain, well known by "Cloudland," the highest hotel 

 of the East, are both on the borders of this basin. In the 

 centi'al part is a large portion of hilly agricultural land, 

 and along creeks are many narrow strips of Hat, alluvial 

 bottom. In cutting through the northwestern rim of the 

 plateau, however, the streams have worn long, deep gorges 

 through the Unicoi and parallel mountain ranges, and the 

 narrow tributarj^ valleys of this portion of the basin have 

 rapid torrential streams, very little bottom land, or none, 

 and very steep and rock}" mountain slopes. 



Soil. The soil is in general very good, especially that of the 



lower portion of the interior basin, which was evidently 

 deposited as a sediment Ijefore the gorge was cut to its 

 present depth. The mountain coves also contain deep, 

 dark loam, which is very fertile. Some of the ridges, 

 however, have a light, shallow soil, owing to erosion of 

 humus and loose earth. 



Agriculture. Twent3'-four per cent of this basin is cleared land, most 

 of which is grazed, although much of it is well adapted to 

 diversified farming, which is unprofitable now because of 

 distance from market. 



Erosion A great drawback to agriculture is found in the cutting 



away of uncovered hill fields by the dastiing rains and the 

 deposition of the eroded material on other fields in the 

 bottoms. The floods of the Nolichucky are well known. 

 The}^ may be partly due to the topographic configuration 



