14 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



AMERICAN FOREST TREES. 



Loblolly or North Carolina Pine. 

 I'inus twda — Liun. 



This species of pine is very much involved 

 with Piiius Virginiana or scrub pine, and 

 grows mixed with Pinus palustris. Its range 

 of growth is through the southern Atlantic 

 and gulf states, including parts of New 

 Jersey, Delaware and West Virginia, to cen- 

 trar Florida ; westward to eastern 



TcNas, northward into Arkansas, 



Indian Territory and southern Ten- 

 nessee. 



It is known as loblolly pine in 

 Delaware, Virginia, Korth Carolina, 

 South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, 

 Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, 

 Texas and Arkansas; as old-field 

 pine in Delaware, Virginia, North 

 Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, 

 Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, 

 Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas; as 

 rosemary pine in Virginia and 

 North Carolina; as long-straw pine 

 in parts of Virginia and North 

 Carolina ; swamp pine in Virginia 

 and North Carolina ; spruce pine in 

 parts of Virginia; Indian pine in 

 North Carolina; foxtail pine in 

 parts of Maryland and Virginia; 

 cornstalk pine and black pine in 

 other sections of those states; 

 meadow pine in Florida; bull pin.- 

 in the gulf region; black slash pirn' 

 in South Carolina; longshucks in 

 parts of Maryland and Virginia; 

 longschat pine in Delaware; slash 

 pine in sections of Virginia and 

 North Carolina; North Carolina 

 pine in various markets of the north 

 and south, while in English litera- 

 ture the tree is often referred to as 

 frankincense pine and torch pine, 

 torch being the meaning of tccda. 



The loblolly pine is a large tree, 

 attaining a height of from fifty to 

 one hundred and fifty feet, accord- 

 ing to its surroundings. Only in 

 forests does it grow exceedingly 

 tall. It reaches its maximum de- 

 velopment in eastern North Caro- 

 lina. 



The flowers appear about the last 

 of March; the staminate ones grow- 

 ing in short spikes, while the pistil- 

 late are solitary or sometimes clus- 

 tered. The leaves are long needles, 

 measuring sometimes nine inches in 

 length; they are deep olive-green and some- 

 what stiff and glaucous, and grow three in a 

 bunch. The fruit of loblolly pine is a cone, 

 light reddish-brown in color, with thin scales 

 terminating in short prickles. The scales 

 relax and discharge the seeds during the fall 

 or winter, the cones remaining on the 

 branches for another year. The seeds are 

 full and dark brown, having an incon- 



TWENTY-NINTH PAPER. 



spicuous pair of tiny lustrous wings. 

 The wood is light and not strong; very 

 brittle, eoar.se-grained and perishable. A 

 cubic foot of loblolly pine weighs approxi- 

 mately thirty-tliree pounds. In appearance 

 tlie heartwood is orange, while the sap is 

 lighter, often nearly white. The bands of 

 summer cells are broad, very resinous, and 



TYl 



ICAL VIRGIN FORKST filtOWTII ItOSK.M.M! V 

 NOUTII I'AKOI.INA I'l.NK. 



conspicuous; Iho medullary rays numerous 

 but obscure. Turpentine is occasionally dis- 

 tilled from this species. 



KaphacI Zon, of the forestry service, in a 

 valuable bulletin, says that although loblolly 

 pine is naturally found on soils widely 

 differing in fertility, structure, and drainage, 

 for its best growth it requires better physical 

 and chemical qualities than do either the 



true sliortleaf or longlcaf pines. A ili'i'|i, 

 fairly loose sandy or light loamy soil, witli 

 u imifortn supply of moisture and a moder- 

 ate amount of humus, suits the species 

 best. There the trees produce long clear 

 stems and foliage that is dense and more 

 persistent than in other situations. 



In the tliickets, where the soil is subject 

 tu frequent flooding, the growth is 



retarded. On stifl', heavy soils, 



W'hieh prevent the formation of a 

 deep root system, and on poor sand. 

 I the height growth is below normal, 



the trees developing short or 

 crooked boles and large, branchy 

 crowns. 



He further says tliat tlie occur- 

 rence of loblolly pine on a wide- 

 range of soils is due primarily to 

 the capacity of its root system to 

 .^^j adapt itself to most varied condi 



'b^I tions. The tree forms, on deep 



^^^H sandy or light loamy soils with a 



j^H|l moist subsoil, a taproot penetratiiii; 



several feet into the ground. On 

 soils in which the tree is capalilc 

 of establishing such a root system 

 as this, it is most resistant to wind.s, 

 but in other situations it is often 

 (i\orthrown. 



Lnbolly pine is decidedly intoler- 

 ant of sliade, though it requires, 

 especially in its youth, less liglit 

 than the longleaf and sliortleaf 

 pines. The tree forms a loose, open 

 crown, to all parts of which sun- 

 light has access. During the first 

 stages of its development it can 

 endure overshading for a time, espe- 

 cially if the soil is good or moist, 

 but after one or two decades it be- 

 comes very sensitive to shade, either 

 from above or from the side. Tlu' 

 shade which loblolly pine can enduri' 

 during its early life enables it Id 

 secure ground inaccessible lu thr 

 longleaf and sliortleaf pine.s, and 

 accounts for its being found iiiori' 

 frequently than any other pine in 

 some states, in stands of varied age 

 and in mixture with hardwoods. It 

 also exjilains why the dense young 

 stands of pure loblolly can main- 

 tain themselves until they are thirty 

 cir forty years old. 



The area of growth of loblolly 

 or North Carolina pine is one of the 

 oldest if not the oldest lumber producing 

 section of the United States. The timber of 

 tliis variety that was opened up by lines of 

 r;iilroad or river transportation was supposed 

 to be well nigh exhausted before the Civil 

 War. Since that time other virgin tracts 

 have been penetrated, but the vast quantity 

 of North Carolina pine sawed for more than 

 a quarter of a ccntur^r has come from second 



(ii: 



