REPORT ON FORESTS. 113 



DESCRIPTIONS OF REPRESENTATIVE AREAS. 



The following detailed descriptions of the measurements 

 taken in different parts of South Jersey contain the essential facts 

 from which the conclusions in the preceding sections were 

 drawn. They illustrate the methods used in the investigation 

 and give some indication of the localities studied and of the 

 amount of labor involved. 



Original Forest at Winslow. 



A satisfactory understanding of the loss occasioned by forest 

 fires in South Jersey presupposed a knowledge of what the land 

 is capable of producing when uninjured by burning. To acquire 

 such knowledge was not easy. 



There are comparatively few places where original pine can 

 still be found, and in these the soil is apparently better than on 

 the fire-scarred areas now covered with straggling, scrubby second 

 growth. These places may, however, be used to illustrate the 

 original conditions, for the soil on areas now fire-scarred was 

 doubtless more productive when covered with a rich layer of 

 forest litter than it is now ; and while the original trees over the 

 greater part of South Jersey were probably for the most part 

 Pitch Pine, the yield per acre probably did not fall far short of 

 that of the Shortleaf (locally called Yellow) Pine now found on 

 the areas studied, the fertility of which was somewhat above the 

 average. 



One plot of old timber situated near Winslow is owned by 

 Mr. J. H. Rosenthal, of Philadelphia. The large Pine was 

 being cut for the market while this plot was being studied, and 

 the measurements were taken as the trees were sawed into logs. 

 In this forest the Yellow Pine predominates, but there are con- 

 siderable numbers of Pitch Pine as well. The Pine occurs both 

 in patches and scattered over the area, and is associated with 

 small Oaks and a few larger ones. The trees reach a diameter of 

 two and a height of eighty-five feet. The larger Oaks, White 

 and Chestnut, in some cases reach a diameter of thirty inches, 

 while among the smaller trees Black and Post Oaks are found. 

 The soil is a white sand, with a slight admixture of loam on the 

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