The principal articles which are cultivated in the region west of the Allegheny Mountains, are maize, oats, and buckwheat; cattle are rather numerous. The eastern portion is an elevated table-land, whose surface is distiognished by extensive prairies; it is drained by five or six small rivers, which by their uniou form Cheat River, an upper branch of the Monongahela. Numerous herds of cattle find pasture on these natural meadows. The western district, or that which lies contiguous to the Laurel Ridge, is a valley, called Tygart's Valley. It is about 30 miles long and 2 tulle, wide, possesses a fertile soil, and is w.-11 settled. It produces maize, wheat, rye, oats, and several vegetables in abundance: clover and other grasses are exten sively grown, and cattle are numerous. The mountain. surrounding the valley are well stocked with fine timber—oak, poplar, cherry, pine, fir, red cedar, ka The climate necessarily varies greatly in a mountain region, which in Noma parts rises to 3000 feet above the ?ea, and in others hardly attains an elevation of 300 feet. The winters are more severe than in the countries east of the Blue Ridge, and they generally last three inotiths'without interruption. The vegetation on the east side of the Bine Ridge is usually two weeks earlier than on the west side ; but the air is never so hot on the west side as to dry up the grass during the summer months; droughts however occasionally occur.
4. TAc Hilly Region of tAe (Ittio and Kanawha comprehends the north-western portion of the 'este, or that which is inclosed by the north-west limit of the mountain region, the Sandy River and the Ohio, and the boundary of Pennsylvania. The most southern portion of this region is the most elevated, which is north of it, by a lino commencing on the banks of the Big Sandy River, where that stream is cut by 38* N. lat., and runuing thence to a point on the Great Kanawha River a little above the salt-works, whence it continues iu the same direction. to the salt-works on the Little Kanawha, where it turns eastward. The whole country consists of high masses of rocka, which generally rise to the elevaticn of mountain ridges, which are united to the western edge of the Mountain Region at right angles, as they generally extend from south-east to north-west. There are DO bottoms along the river-courses, except a few email tracts hardly a quarter of a mile wide. The rocks, which are generally con tiguous to the banks, rise to 500 feet and more, and in many places with a nearly perpendicular acclivity. Where the acclivity is not too steep the mountains are covered with toil, and along the watercourses overgrown with bushes; but in many parts the rocks are bare. At some distance from the watercourses the high grounds present a hilly surface, usually covered with low bushes or stunted trees. There
are only a few tracts of moderate extent, on which maize, oats, and potatoes are grown ; and the pastures which the higher grounds afford are too poor for cattle. The inhabitants obtain their livelihood partly by taking lumber to the lower country.
The remainder of thin region is only hilly, with the exception of the north-eastern country, where some short ranges of mountains occur. The hills rise from 300 to 500 feet above the river bottoms, generally with a gentle acclivity, though in many places they are steep. The bottoms differ in width, from a quarter of a mile to upwards of two miles. The least fertile part is the tract which lies between the Big Sandy River and the Great Kanawha, where the hills which ferns the higher grounds between the rivers consist of sandstone, rise with a steep acclivity, and have flat tops covered with low bushes. They are not cultivated, and not even available as paature ground for sheep. In the depressions between the hills the soil is also poor. The bottom of the Great Kanawha has many very fertile tmcta, and in general it yields good crops of maize, wheat, rya, oats, and potatoes. The hills which inclose the bottoms of this river and those of its affluenta contain largo trees, especially lime, hickory, sugar maple, laurel, hemlock, and sumach : the sumach attains here the height of a stately tree. North of the Great Kanawha the country improves. It is still hilly, but the slope* of the hills are not so steep, and the soil is more fertile. The higher grounds are overgrown with trees or bushes. The beat portion of this region is the basin of the Monongahela. Though the river-bottoms aro not so wide as those of the Ohlo or Great Kanawha, they are very fertile, and produce abund ant crops of wheat, maize, rye, outs, potatoes, and vegetables. In some places the higher grounds rise into mountains. In general the hills OD the higher ground, though broken, have a good boil, which pro duces maize, rye, and oats. The higher grounds between the Laurel Chain and Chestnut Ridge are destitute of trees, but in summer they are covered with grim, ; the cultivated tracts are not very numerous. The most northern part of Virginia, or that narrow tract which lias between the western boundary-line of Pennsylvania and the Ohio, resembles the countries on the banks of the Monongahela, being much equally fert.le.
Ilgdeography, Communications—Virginia has numerous navigable rivers. They all originate within the Mountain Region or ou the ranges which form the edges of that region. The greater number rune east and 'south-east, and flow Into the Atlantic. The others flow north or north-west into the Ohio.
The Potomac, from its source to its mouth, forms the boundary between Maryland and Virginia, and will be found described under