SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. 



77 



on the hills and destructive floods on the bottoms. Much 

 of the mountain region is also under cultivation. The cove 

 lands are mostly cleared, and cleared mountain-side pas- 

 tures dot the landscape, as viewed from every high point. 



This basin is no exception to the rule for the region. ^™sion. 

 Tobacco-growing on the lighter soils of the hills exhausted 

 field after field, and finally the whole industry was aban- 

 doned, leaving large areas of desolate land exposed to the 

 cutting' action of raindrops and to gullying hj running 

 water. The same process has been in operation on old 

 farm land and pastures, until on many small tracts, as on 

 the southward slopes of Poverty Hollow, near Barnards- 

 ville, there is but little soir left. There is hardly a farm 

 in the entire basin that is not more or less gullied, although 

 much care is taken by a few of the more thoughtful farmers 

 to keep the earth covered by a vigorous crop. The inun- 

 dations of the bottom lands are also seriously damaging, 

 and the general testimony is that they increase as more 

 land is cleared. 



There is evident need of every protection against ero- 

 sion in this valley, where so many people and so much 

 valuable property are concerned, and where sudden heavy 

 downpours of rain are common. 



Distributio7i. — The higher mountains are still forested. The forest, 

 and the ridges and slopes above 3,000 feet are mostl}- 

 covered, although some of the ridges, as Elk, Spring Creek, 

 and New Found ridges have on them large proportions of 

 cleared land, and the mountain sides are often dotted with 

 clearings. 



Comjyosition . — In this region we have a mixed forest, in 

 which the oaks and chestnuts predominate, with a sprink- 

 ling of white pine, hemlock, linn, gum, beech, birch, 

 maple, ash, hickory, Shortleaf pine, poplar, cheriy, wal 

 nut, and nmn}' other species of less importance. 



6Wc?^'fo"w?.— Besides the usual inferior condition of the 

 .natural forest, fires, gi'azing, and culling have greatly 

 reduced its original quality. Bordering the farms are 

 many fine stands of sapling second growth, but the 

 remote mountains are full of defective trees and brush. 



Reproduction. — Sprouts and seedlings spring up readily. 

 White pine, shortleaf pine, poplar, ash, walnut, and cherry 

 all abound in the forests in the form of promising young 

 trees. Sumac and locust here reproduce rapidl}^ and 

 are well adapted to cover and prevent erosion on the old 

 fields. 



