ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 11 



imperfect seed in a long leaf pine cone than in the cone 

 of the loblolly pine. This would be decidedly to the 

 advantag^e of the long- leaf pine in seeding old fields, 

 etc., were its seed not too heavy to be carried far by 

 the wind. The}^ usually fall within fifty feet of the 

 parent tree, while the light winged seed of the loblolly 

 have been known to scatter thickly over fields from 

 trees over a quarter of a mile distant ; and single seed 

 are reported 'to have been blown several miles. Fur- 

 thermore, as described more fully beyond, the seed 

 of the long leaf pine are much more extensively destroy- 

 ed by hogs, fowls, squirrels, rats, etc. Another rea- 

 son for the exclusively loblolly growth in fields may be 

 that even when the seed of the two pines fall on the 

 same land the loblolly pmi^ by its rapid growth during 

 the first few ^^ears overshadows and effectually crowds 

 out the more slowly growing long leaf pine ; and the 

 latter, during this early slow growth are easily de- 

 stroyed by fires and by live stock. The two are, how- 

 ever, rarely seen associated together in second growth 

 woods. The seed ripening in October, fall to the 

 ground rapidly and if there is a warm moist season 

 sprout immediately. In the event of a long warm rain 

 just after the seed are matured, they will frequently 

 sprout in the cones and the entire yield will be thus 

 destroyed. 



THE YOUNG PLANT. 



The 3^oung long leaf pine seems to be specially adapt- 

 ed by the form of its root system for growing on a 

 sandy soil. By the end of its first year's growth, its root 

 system, which has grown rapidly, consists of a large 

 tap-root which extends 6 to 10 inches deep in the sand 



