Counties. TABLE A, SHOWING THE NUMBER OF ACRES OWNED IN THE SEVERAL COUNTIES OF THE SCIOTO VALLEY IN 1883, AND THE PER CENT. OF AREA IN WOODLAND, IN ARABLE LAND, IN PASTURE, AND IN WASTE LAND. Number of acres owned in 1883. In woodland1883. TABLE B, SHOWING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ACRES IN THE SEVERAL COUNTIES OF THE SCIOTO VALLEY, AND THE NUMBER OF ACRES IN FORESTS IN THE YEARS 1853 AND 1883, THE PERCENTAGE OF WOODLAND IN THOSE YEARS, THE DIFFERENCE OF PER CENT. IN THE FOREST AREA BETWEEN 1853 AND 1883, AND THE AVERAGE ANNUAL DECREASE. ADAMS COUNTY. Adams county is bounded on the north by Highland and Pike; on the east by Scioto county; on the south by the Ohio river, and on the west by Brown county. Its surface is hilly and broken, and its soil diversified. The principal stream in the county is Brush Creek, which traverses the county from north to south. Its most important tributaries are Middle Fork and West Fork of Brush Creek. The eastern portion of the county is drained by the head-waters of the Scioto and Brush Creek. The south-western corner is drained by a number of smaller creeks; some of these flow through Brown county into the Ohio. The whole county was originally densely wooded; a considerable portion of woodland still remains. The following table shows the percentage of woodland in the county at different periods: In 1853 the woodlands occupied 91.06 per cent. of the whole area. In 1870 66 43.98 The motives for clearing the land of the forests in this county are: Clearing for agricultural purposes, cutting timber for the market and fuel for factories, destructive forest fires in several townships, injuries by livestock. The following table, based upon the estimates of our correspondents, shows the condition of the forests at the present time: The following trees predominate in the several townships named: Jefferson Township.-White Oak, Red Oak, Chestnut, Black Oak, Poplar, Linden, Beech, Sugar tree, Maple, Ash, Elm, Gum, Black Walnut, White Walnut, Sycamore, Birch, Black Locust and Wild Cherry. Manchester Township.-Beech, Hickory, Ash, Linden, Elm, Buckeye, Walnut, Oak, Poplar. The following trees have been cultivated in this township for shade and ornamental purposes: Maple, Black Walnut and Locust. Monroe Township.-Beech, Oaks (in several varieties), Sugar tree, Poplar, Hickory, Ash, Black Locust, Walnut, Chestnut, Sycamore, Buckeye, Cedar, Elm, Gum, Linden and Wild Cherry. Greene Township.-Poplar, Oaks (black, white and red), Chestnut, Hickory, Maple, Linden, Beech, Pine, Cedar, Dogwood, Black Gum, Black and White Walnut. Liberty Township.-White Oak, Sugar, Hickory, Black Oak, Red Oak, Dogwood, Sycamore, Elm, Locust, Beech, Wild Cherry, Black and White Walnut, Mulberry, Sassafras, Linden and Poplar. Mr. J. B. Young, of Blue Creek, Jefferson township, wrote to me under the date of August 15, 1885: 66 Our township is very hilly, with many small valleys between. The forests in the eastern portion of the township are rapidly disappearing by means of the 'woodman's ax.' There was at one time a vast number of Chestnut and Oaks growing here, but they have been cut and peeled for tanbark. Quite a forest of young trees is springing up, which is injured almost every year by forest fires.* "Black Walnut and Poplar have been cut for lumber." The peculiarities of the topography of the county and its soil are indicative of the probability that practical forestry will be one of the chief resources of this county. Its proximity to the Ohio river, which affords an excellent means for floating the timber to the western market, is also favorable. The growing of Chestnut-leaved Oaks for tanbark purposes will doubtless be a paying investment in this county. DELAWARE COUNTY. Delaware county is bounded on the north by Marion and Morrow counties, on the east by Knox and Licking, on the south by Franklin, on the west by Union. The topography of the county is thus described by Prof. N. H. Winchel:† "The eastern portion of the county is rolling, particularly the sandstone districts. This is due partly to the original unequal deposit of the drift, and partly to the effect of streams, which have dug their channels through it, and into the rock, in some instances, to the depth of fifteen or twenty feet. "The area of the shale and black slate was at first generally flat, but the streams and all little ravines have so roughened the surface that it should now be called rolling or undulating, although there are yet many wide flat tracts. The belt underlain by the shale and black slate is seperated from the limestone belt by the valley of the Olentangy, which with its tributaries constitutes an important system of drainage. The whole limestone district, which embraces all that part of the county *Attention is here called to the letter by the Rev. J. G. Hall, of Scioto county, which will be found in the report of that county. †Geological Surv. of Ohio, Vol. II, p. 272. A. L. |