Nnmber 

 of trees. 



PERIOD OP RAPID GROWTH. 

 Table I. — Measurements of young Irces of Long} eaf Pine. 



57 



Num- 

 ber of 

 rings. 



Diame- 

 ter 

 breast 

 high. 



Height. 



To 

 crown. 



Total. 



Locality. 



Remarks. 



I... 



2... 

 3... 

 i... 

 18.. 

 ,5... 

 6... 

 319. 



19.- 

 8.-. 

 32). 

 318. 

 9... 

 10-. 

 248. 

 317- 

 11.. 

 260. 

 199. 

 198. 

 194. 

 12.. 

 13.. 

 14.- 

 15.. 

 259. 

 246. 

 316. 

 195. 

 194- . 

 196., 

 209.. 



210... 

 21 IS... 

 315... 

 207... 

 256... 

 258... 

 16.... 

 17-21. 



•Sia . 

 723.. 



24(1 . 

 25a . 

 26... 

 27... 



10 

 10 

 10 

 11 

 11 

 U 

 12 

 12 

 13 

 12 

 13 

 13 

 13 

 13 

 14 

 15 

 10 

 18 

 19 

 211 

 20 



i;l 



21 

 25 

 22 

 20 

 21 

 25 



39 

 40 

 40 

 43 

 43 

 43 

 43 



55 

 71 



87 



95 



105 



105 



Inches. 

 1} 



H 



6 



10 

 10 

 10 



11 



11 



8 

 5 



Feet. 



11 

 14 

 10 



24 

 2U 

 17 

 15 



17 

 21 

 17- 

 33 

 28 

 34 



47 



Feet. 



5,S 

 22 



10 

 11 



23 

 17 

 16 

 22 

 15 

 14 

 24 

 15 

 19 

 20 

 24 

 35 

 16 

 23 

 20 

 47 

 49 

 45 

 5) 

 511 

 21 

 29 

 28 

 47 

 44 

 44 

 35 



3.1 

 51) 

 60 

 53 

 47 

 56 

 60 

 61 



58 

 40 



59 

 58 

 56 

 59 



Springhlll, Al.i 



do 



do 



do 



Levins Station, La. 



Springhill. Ala 



do 



Eidgelaud, S. C .... 

 do 



Levins Station. La. 

 .... do 



Ridmland, S. C .... 

 .do 



Springhill, Ala 



do 



Tlioniasville. Ala . . 



Eidm-lanrt. S. C 



Springhill. Ala 



Thomasvillc, Ala . . 



Nona, Tex 



do 



do 



Sju-inghill, Ala 



do 



do 



<lo 



Thoniasvillr, Ala . . 

 do 



Kidgeland,S. C 



Nona, Tex 



do 



...do 



Kyansville, Galea, 

 siou I'ari.sli, La. 



...do 



do 



Kidgcland, S. C .... 



livansville. La 



Tlioma.sville, Ala . . 



....do 



Springhill, Ala .... 



do 



.do . 



Chunchiila, Ala. 



Thoraasville, Ala . 

 Chuuchula. Ala. . . 



.do . 

 .do. 

 .do. 

 .do. 



Opening in forest; pasture protected from tire. 



Do. 

 Old field; last time plowed in 1874. 

 In the midst of forest. 

 Opening in forest. 

 Deep forest. 

 Old field. 

 Open forest. 



Pasture in forest; ground never turned. 

 Old clearing; turned ground. 



Do. 

 0])euiijg in forest; sandy uplands. 



Do. 

 Wood pasture. 

 Old flelil. 



Opening in forest; hills. 

 Opening in forest; dry uplands. 



Field abandoned in 1872. , 



Inrlosed forest ; hills ; undercover. 

 Flat, damp; opening in forest: exposure free. 



Do. 

 Light swell in open forest; exposure free. 

 Old field; deep soil; abandoned in 1864; from one open grove. 



Do. 



Do. 

 Old field; poor, broken ground. 

 A'irgin forest; under cover. 

 Virgin forest : in opening; free. 

 Open forest; sandy uplands; free. 

 Flat, damp, dense forest in opening; exposure free. 



Do' 

 Flat, damp; open forest. 



Do. 

 Do. 

 Boundary field: open. 

 Flat, d;tmp; open forest. 

 Dense oak opening; ()]>iiressed. 

 In open forest. 



Old (lasture, on poor broken ground. 

 6 trees from grove !)fohl pasture; yiidd, sticks 



and building: averaging 20 feet in length. 

 Grove with 115 to 120 trees to tlle :icre; on field 



and rented to charcoal burners. 

 Old jiastnre. 

 Old turpentine orchard; bled; e\posi-d for over 20 years, one se;ison 



after another, to fire. 

 Under cover of forest. 

 Old turpentine oic-bard; bled and scor<lied, exhibiting the effect of 



id jiosts for fencing 

 ;ih;ind(Uied in 1835, 



bleedi 

 growth. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 



and repeated burning of the woods by their retarded 



Stape of .sliiiv f/ro/rfli. — Rapid as is the increase in length of the primary axis or trunk, ainount- 

 iiig (luring the liist half century, in the average, to 14 or 15 inches annually, the rate is subse- 

 (lueiitly greatly diminished, averaging from the fiftieth to about the one hundred and fifteenth 

 year but from 4 to 5 inches, and from this time to the age of two hundred and fifty years only l.i 

 inches — that is, at a. relative rate f>f 10, 3, and 1 in the three successive periods. Tlie decrease in 

 the accretion of wood corresponds with the reduction in the growth of the branches and conse- 

 quent reduction of foliage. From what has been said, it is seen that the Longleaf Pine attains 

 maturity of growth, witJi the best finalities of its timber, at an age of from one hundred and eighty 

 to two hundred years. After jiaving passed the second century the trees are found frequently to 

 be wind shaken and otherwise defective. The deterioration of the weather-beaten crown les.sens 

 the vitality of the tree, and the soil, under prevailing conditions, becomes less and less favorable. 

 In consequence, the trees become liable to disease and mostly fall prey to the attacks of parasitic 

 fungi (red heart). Instances of trees which have reached the nia.xiinum age of two hundred and 

 seventy-five or tbree hundred years are exceptional. 



In order to ascertain the age required to furnish merchantable timber of first quality, ineas- 

 nrements were made of a number of logs in a log camp in the rolling pine uplands of the lower 

 division of the coastal pine belt near Lunibertim, Wa.shiiigton (bounty, Ala. From the results 

 obtained i'. a))pears that in this section of tlie eastern Gulf region, at the lowest figure, two 

 hundred years are requisite to produce logs of the dimeusious at present cut at the sawmills. 



