LOBLOLLY OR NORTH CAROLINA PINE. 

 TABLE 11. THICKNESS OP BARK ON STUMP. 



41 



LONGEVITY AND SIZE. 



The loblolly pine is comparatively a medium-lived tree. The oldest 

 group which was measured, consisted of more than 20 trees that had an 

 average age of 240 years. The oldest tree recorded was 245 years old ; it 

 was a perfectly sound tree, and one of the largest specimens seen, hav- 

 ing a breasthigh diameter of 53 inches, a height of 150 feet, 88 feet of 

 clear bole, and containing 4,109 board feet (Doyle-Scribner rule) of mer- 

 chantable timber. The tallest tree measured was 164 feet high. The 

 tree having the greatest diameter was 54 inches, and 139 feet in height. 



The usual age on good soils is about 200 years, with a height of from 

 110 to 130 feet, and a diameter of from 2 to 3 feet. On poor or dry 

 soils the sizes are smaller and the trees do not reach so great an age. 

 On the very dry upland soils of old fields mature trees do not attain 

 as a rule a greater height than 90 feet, a diameter above 20 inches, and 

 an age of over 100 years. 



SILVICAL REQUIREMENTS. 



CLIMATE. 



Although unfavorable soil conditions are the chief limiting factor 

 to the western distribution of the loblolly pine in North Carolina, a 

 minimum annual temperature of 55 F., a high atmospheric humidity 

 and ample rainfall of 45 inches a year, or more, are essential condi- 

 tions for its good development. 



SOIL AND MOISTURE. 



The loblolly pine is not exacting in regard to soil. It grows natu- 

 rally on many soils, which differ widely in dryness, depth, compactness, 

 and chemical composition. For its best development, however, it re- 

 quires a uniform supply of moisture, and a deep, preferably porous, soil. 

 On the light loams and the sandy loams of the coastal plain, with the 

 water table seldom below 10 feet, it seems to be most thoroughly at 

 home. On lower slopes bordering streams along the eastern edge of the 

 Piedmont, loblolly pine grows especially well on the deep alluvial soils, 

 which are uniformly moist throughout the growing season but are not 

 subject to excessive flooding. In the large river swamps, subject to 

 frequent and deep flooding by muddy water during the growing season, 



