Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Report of the Secretary of Agriculture in relation to the forests, rivers, and mountains of the southern Appalachian region

items 209 of 386 items
  • wcu_great_smoky_mtns-8683.jpg
Item
?

Item’s are ‘child’ level descriptions to ‘parent’ objects, (e.g. one page of a whole book).

  • SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. 81 crests more than 6,000 feet high, form the watershed on the north and west, and from these descend into the northern portion of the basin many swift streams, which have carved deep narrow valleys, leaving high intervening ridges with steep and rugged slopes. The watersheds between several of these streams are high and rough mountains, especially in the Cheoah, Nantahala, and Cowee ranges. The lower part of the basin includes some of the most rugged land in the southern Appalachians, with only a very small part suited for tillage, and few alluvial bottoms; but in the upper part much of the mountain land is not steep, and there are several large and fertile valleys. The soils in the upper part of the basin are sandy, soil. derived from granite, or in the Little Tennessee River, around and above Franklin, where most of the good farms are located, from schists, and are deep and fertile red loams. In the narrow valleys around the high mountains, where sandstones, quartzite, and conglomerates prevail, the soils are generally thin and sandy, and poor agriculturally, but on north slopes and in hollows are well suited to forests. The alluvial bottom lands along many of the streams are also light and sandy, though those of the Little Tennessee are silts of the finest texture. All of the land available for tillage has been cleared. Agriculture. Corn is the staple crop on both alluvium and upland, the yield of small grain, grass, and apples being much smaller than in other mountain counties farther north. At high altitudes and on some of the stiffer soils grass thrives, but on the whole the soils are too light and too subject to drought for either grazing or forage grasses. Orchards have been planted, but are much neglected, and only a few apples are produced for market. Much of the best valley land hits been badly washed, Erosion. especially on Tuckasegee River and Scott, Creek. There are also many badly worn steep slopes on these streams and elsewhere. In general, the mountain ranges and spurs, and also the The forest ridge lands of the valleys, are still principally wooded, although many clearings are found in mountain coves and on mountain slopes. The principal clearings, however, are on and about the alluvial lands, which appear on the map like broken chains along the larger tributaries. The largest unbroken forest areas lie on Oconalufty, *S. Doc. 81 6
Object
?

Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).