12 JOURNAIv OF THE 



from the bottom of it branch out the smaller roots 

 which draw nourishment from the soil. It is this deep 

 seated root system, sent thus early far down into the 

 soil, which enables this pine to ^'•rovv on the sand bar- 

 rens, and it is doubtless because the roots of the loblol- 

 ly are small and divide for the first year or two into a 

 great many small divisions, lying- near the surface, 

 that it does not get sufficient moisture and nourishment 

 from the dry surface sand to enable it to* thrive on the 

 sand barrens before this land has been cultivated. 

 This lono- tap root of the long leaf pine fre([uently g-oes 

 through the sand into the loam soil and secures for the 

 tree a lirni anchorag^e against storms and enables it to 

 draw its nourishment from a more fertile soil. The 

 stem parts of the long leaf pine are as peculiarly adapt- 

 ed for growing on a sand soil as the root system is. 

 Instead of the stem branching or growing the first 

 year, it only puts out a great number of very long thick 

 leaves, exceedingly close to the ground. These leaves 

 soon spread out and help to shade the ground close to 

 the plant and keep it moist. At the end of the first 

 season's growth the single (terminal) bud is not over 

 an inch and a half above the earth and the bud itself is 

 nearly an inch long, so that it can be said that the stem 

 of the seedling does not grow any in height during- 

 the first year, all the energ-y of the plant being- divert- 

 ed to increasing- the root and producing the great tuft 

 of long deep green leaves which spread out immediate- 

 ly below the bud and make the plant resemble more a 

 tuft of some marvellous kind of grass than a young- tree. 

 Some of the lowest leaves usually die during the first 

 year ; most of them remain on for two seasons. 



The second and third year growth of the stem in 

 height is slight, thoug-h it increases in thickness, but 



