Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-02-25

Kun, IN CpShur county, and up tn
Cheat river to st. George, i'm Tuckp
county. In the eastern counties thi
level extends up the north branch O
thr Potomac /" the river bed directl,
below Elk Garden, and up the soutI
branch to the mouth Of Deer Run
in PendlctOn county.
Although the highest mountain il
tn" Stat" is in PcndIctOn county, thu
county OF tn" highest general clcva
ton is P0CahOntaS. This county car
hardIE have an average elevation o
less than three thousand feet ub0v,
the sea.
Ihc GrccnbriCr river enters Pocu
h"ntaS county on either side OF
Br"ch Mountain at an elevation OF
$500 feet above the sea. Cranberry
river and Williams river are each
! 5000 feet above the sea at the POCa.
hnntaS- Webster line, and Elk river
passes the Randolph line at height
of >, 300 feet.
ShaVpr's Fork Of Cheat river en-
terS Randolph from POcahontas at a
helEht ct 3,7OO feet above the sea,
so that the high uplands Of the State
are distributed among the counties
of Pcndleton, PoCahontas and Ram
d0lph. The following are few of
the highest elevations Of that region.
although many more above 1000
feet in height might be named:
Spruce Knob, PeudletOn county,
4,S6O tcct.
Panther Knob, Pendleton county,
/, 800 feet.
Bald Knob, Pocahontas county,
1, 800 feet.
Spruce Knob, POcahOntas county,
1870 feet.
Mace Knob, Pocahontas county,
400 feet.
Bear Mountain, Pocahontas county,
1900 feet.
Ellcber Ridge, Pocahontas county,
1000 feet.
Watering Pond Knob, Pocahontas
county, 1900 feet.
High Knob, Randolph, county,
l,7l0 feet.
Green Knob, Randolph county,
I, lS5 feet.
Brier Patch Mountain, Randolph
county. 1, $50 feet.
Barton Knob, Randolph county,
1000 feet.
Iokum'S Knob, Randolph county,
I, $50 feet.
Hutton's Knob, Randolph county,
1, 260 feet.
Bayard's Knob, Randolph county,
/, 100 feet.
The foregoing facts show that q
very large area of our State lies at
the comparatively high level Of
more than 1000 feet above the sea.
Above this level farming operations
become very limited, and whatever
may have been the case while the
soil was new, the business Of this
region will ultimately become re-
dnced to three principal pursuits,
forestry, grazing and mining.
Apples, however, thrive admira-
bly, in all these upland counties and
more attention should be given to
their culture.
The largest production of the va
rious cereal crops in West Virginia
is clearly explained by the topo-
graphy Of our State. Thus the
counties producing the largest
amounts of corn are in order as fol-
lows: Wayne, jefferson, Berkeley
and Mason. The elevation of these
four counties is the lowest of any
four counties in the State.
The Counties producing the largest
amounts of wheat are jefferson,
Berkely. Marshall and Mason. This
is evidently due to the low elevation
of the counties and consequently
their high temperature.
The principal production Of rye
is distributed as follows: Hamp-
shire, Morgan, Hardy and Pendlcton.
Almost all the buckwheat in the
State Is raised in Preston, Hamp-
shire, Pendleton, PocahOntas and
Tucker.
Thus does nature determine what
crops man shall SOW i'm each topo-
graphic district and in each upland
zone.
5. B. BROWN,
Professor Of Geology in The Vest
Virginia University.
Dee. l0h, 1896.