48 



LOBLOLLY OR NORTH CAROLINA PINE. 



trees. On drier, and especially on heavier soils, such as the Sehna 

 loams and Cecil loams and clays, the presence of the forest litter and 

 humus is extremely desirable as a protection against excessive evapora- 

 tion of soil moisture. The litter in pine forests on such soils, therefore, 

 should never be burned. If such stands demand protection from fire it 

 should be given by means of broad fire lanes, which can be annually 

 cleaned, as discussed later. 



An attempt was made to ascertain the effect of a severe fire upon 

 the growth of loblolly pine when the land was foul with the accumu- 

 lated leaves and undergrowth of several years. Nearly all large areas, 

 even, the shallower swamps, unless free from underwood, have been 

 burned at some time, and often several times, and traces of fire on 

 charred logs and stumps are in general evidence, except in some of the 

 old fields and fenced areas. A grove which had been severely burned by 

 having all the undergrowth of gallberries and other shrubs destroyed in 

 the early part of the summer seven years before the examination, and 

 which the owner asserted had not been burned before or since that 

 year, furnished some conclusive data. The grove was on a well-drained 

 heavy-loam soil near Kinston, and had an average age of about 50 years. 

 The result of the fire upon the accretion is shown in Table 12. 



TABLE 12. THE EFFECT OF A SEVERE BRUSH FIRE UPON THE GROWTH IN DIAMETER 

 OF LOBLOLLY PINE. 



The trees without an exception show a sharp decrease in the width 

 of the rings in the year following the burning, while their width gradu- 

 ally increased each succeeding year as the trees recovered from the 

 effects of the fire. 



CATTLE AND HOGS. 



The chief injury by cattle to loblolly pine is by trampling the seed- 

 lings, although the shoot may be bitten off in grazing. Swine rarely 

 dig up the seedling for its root. Just before restocking, the presence of 

 swine in a stand is advantageous since they upturn the mineral soil. 



Squirrels and wild turkeys do not destroy the seed of loblolly as they 

 do the mast of longleaf pine. 



