90 



TIMBEK PINES OK THE SOUTHERN' UNITED STATES. 



ri.se to a (■oiisideniblc lumbcriug iiulustry. These forests are, however, rapidly (Iccimated aloug 

 the Memphis and Charleston Kailroad, where the products of the mill find ready markcit 

 throughout north >Iississii)pi and at ^leniphis. Through the northern half of .Mississippi, on the 

 divide which separates the waters tlowing into the Mississijjpi Kiver from those of the Tombigbee, 

 extends a region of imdulating uplands of oak, luckory, and JShortleaf Pine over an area little 

 §hort of n, 000 s(juare miles; on this long, narrow belt the Shortleaf Pine can be said to form 12 to 

 1.*) ])er cent of the tree covering. These forest.s furinsh an ample supi)ly of pine lumber for local 

 demands. It appears, however, that in tho eastern Gulf States generally the existing supplies of 

 Hliortleaf Pine are scarcely suflicient to cover home demand. On these uplands the Shortleaf Pine 

 takes rapid possession of the openings in the forest and the old fields. Here, as has been 

 elsewhere observed in the central and uortliern parts of these States, this tree can truly be 

 considered the timber tree of the future. Since it is rarely found in compact bodies, but associated 

 with other trees widely scattered, any attempt at an estimate of the amount of the timber standing 

 in these States must ai)pear futile. The amount of timber cut can also liardly be approximated, 

 since it forms only a part of the cut of the mills in these States. 



West of the Mississippi Eiver, north of the region of the Longleaf Pine, the Shortleaf Pine 

 is found most abundant and in fullest jierfection. It is in these Western forests that the Short- 

 leaf Pine linds its best development, and forms pure forests, extending over many hundreds of 

 square miles with but little interruption. The forests of Shortleaf Pine in northwestern Louisiana, 

 Arkansas, soutliern Jlissouri, and northeastern Texas are scarcely surpassed in their timber wealth. 

 The Tenth Census estimates the amount of merchantable timber of Shortleaf Pine standing in 

 1880 in these Western forests at 87,000,000,000 feet, boai'd measure, exclusive of the forests in 

 southern ^lissouri and the Indian Territory. 



In Louisiana the Shortleaf I'ine is unequally distributed over the uplands north of the Longleaf 

 Pine region between the Ouachita River and the eastern boundary of Texas, embracing an area of 

 a little over 8,000 square miles. Along the northern extent of the Louisiana and Texas State line 

 this pine forms ])ure forests, and also prevails in many localities on the ui)land along the border of 

 Arkansas. The resources of pine timber in these mixed forests of oaks, hickories, and Shortleaf 

 Pine, removed as they are from the highways of traffic, have been but slightly drawn upon. 



In Arkansas, in the hilly and mountainous region on both sides of tlie Arkansas Itiver, over 

 19,000 s{piare miles in extent, tlie Shortleaf Pine forms a large ])art of the tree covering of the 

 siliceous rocky soil and I'rcquently extensive forests on the wide table-lands. On the uplands of 

 yellow loam south of the hills the tree predominates, especially on the low ridges of gravel and, 

 loam, th(^ hard woods encroaching where the soil conditions become more favorable. 



The low ridges rising above the L(il)l()lly Pine forests of the flood [)lain of the Ouachita and Little 

 Missouri rivers are covered with open forests almost e.xclusively of Shortleaf Pine, interspersed 

 with a few \\"hite Oaks, Post and Spanish Oaks, rarely above medium size. In tlie \icinity of 

 Gurdon, in ("lark County, upon one acre rei)resenting average conditions, L'l! Shortleaf Pines 

 have been counted from 12 to '2') inches in diameter, with no pines of smaller growth ann)ng the 

 scattered undergrowth of dogwood, huckleberries, scrubby oaks, IJlack Gum, and hickories. Of 

 this number, 8 trees measured from 21 to 25 inches; (» trees from 18 to 20 inches; <i trees from 

 1~> to IV inches and 2 trees 12 to 11 inches in diameter breast high, indicating a stand i>i'r acre of 

 about 0,000 feet, board measure. 



Five trees, representing the average timber growth of the forest selected for timber tests, were 

 found of the following dimensions: 



McMuremcntu of five trccH. 



On the arid hills of llinty sandstone the trees are of inferior growth, as observed in Hot Springs 

 County, in tho vicinity of Malvern. On their steep slopes the piues are rarely found to exceed 18 



