LETTER OF TRANS-MITTAL. 



United States Department of Agricultttre, 



Division of Forestry, 

 Washington, I). C, May 26, 1896. 



Sir: 1 have tbe honor to submit herewith for publication a series of monographs on the five 

 pines of economic importance in the Southern I'liited States, a result of many years' study by 

 Dr. Charles Mohr, the well-known authority on the botany of the Southern States and agent of 

 the Division of Forestry. 



The first draft of these monographs was prepared several years ago, but it was then found 

 that in order to make them fully satisfactory and useful to the practitioner much additional infor- 

 mation was needed, especially regarding the rate of growth and other sylvicultural as well as 

 technological questions. This information has been gradually accumulated as our facilities have 

 l)crmitted. The extended investigations carried on in this division may be considered quite 

 exhaustive, especially in regard to the mechanical pro])erties of the wood of these pines. An 

 interesting chapter on the wood structure by ]\Ir. Filibert Eotli has been added, and a compar- 

 ative study of the economic, sylvicultural, and technical characteristics and value of the pines 

 under consideration — a resume, as it were, of the contents of the monographs — is to be found 

 in the introduction by the writer. 



The pineries of the South furnish now, or will in the near future, the most imiiortant staples 



of our lumber industry. According as thej- are treated, carefully or wastefully, they will continue 



for a longer or shorter time to be a wealth-producing resource of the South. To aid in securing a 



true conception of the extent, condition, and value of this resource, and of the nature, develoi)ment, 



characteristics (botanical, sylvicultural, and technological) of these pines, these monograjjhs have 



been written, with the hope of inducing rational forestry methods in their use aud rejjroduction. 



Respectfully, 



B. E. Fernow, 



Chief of Division. 

 Hon. J. Stkuling Morton, 



tiecretury of Agriculture. 



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