44 LOBLOLLY OR NORTH CAROLINA FIXE. 



When loblolly pine grows on good sites associated with hardwoods, 

 well-developed old pines overtop the hardwoods, spreading their crowns 

 above them and securing full light in that way. The sweet gum and 

 yellow poplar are the only associated trees which are not overtopped. 

 In such hardwood forests the young pines appearing as single stems in 

 openings, endure much lateral compression to an age of about 120 years, 

 when they generally overtop the hardwoods. In spite of its intolerance 

 of shade the pine succeeds in forming a considerable element in forests 

 of the most shade-tolerant species, seizing by its abundant seeding 

 openings caused from windfall, fire, or lumbering, and by its rapid 

 growth outstripping competitors that would otherwise overtop and sup- 

 press it beneath their shade. (Plates XXIV to XXVII.) 



REPRODUCTION. 



Loblolly pine reproduces itself prolifically because of its high per- 

 centage of sound seed with excellent germinating power, the hardiness of 

 the young seedling, and the varying degrees of light, moisture, and soil 

 to which it is inured. Its ability to establish itself under adverse con- 

 ditions is further aided by the early rapid development of a vigorous 

 root system, accompanied by an extremely rapid height growth, which 

 begins the second year and soon raises the crown above grass, weeds, 

 and slower growing competitors, and by the thick bark which by the 

 time it is a sapling affords excellent protection against fire. No other 

 species can successfully compete with it, under existing conditions, over 

 three-fourths of the coastal plain. Neglected by both cattle and hogs, 

 it is subject neither to the browsings which suppress broadleaf species 

 nor to the destruction to which the longleaf pine is exposed by having 

 both its seed and roots eaten by hogs. 



SEEDIXG. 



Loblolly pine seeds abundantly nearly every year. From 60 to 70 per 

 cent of the seed from large trees are viable. The seeds are light (about 

 17,000 to 20,000 cleaned seed to a pound) with large, tenacious wings, 

 in consequence of which they are widely disseminated by the wind upon 

 the maturing and opening of the cones after frost or late in autumn. 

 The greater part of the seed is scattered during the months of November 

 and December, but many cones do not open, or entirely open, until con- 

 siderably later, so that some seed does not fall until spring. The dis- 

 tance to which the seed is scattered varies with the height of the trees 

 and the velocity of the wind. As a rule in two seasons an area will be 

 fairly thickly seeded by wind-sown seed to a distance of 200 yards from 

 an adjoining forest of tall, seed-bearing trees, if the prevailing winds 

 during the season, when the cones are opening, are favorable. (Plate 

 IV.) Seeding is progressive, and the stocking will not be uniform 

 but denser near the seed trees. Near the coast the prevailing winds 

 during the winter are from the east and northeast; farther inland they 

 are from the northwest. 



