50 LOBLOLLY OR NORTH CAROLINA PINE. 



As would be expected from the rapid growth of the tree the wood is 

 mostly coarse grained. Thrifty young trees frequently have as few as 

 two rings to the inch near the center (Plate IX, A), while the sapwood 

 of trees more than 100 years of age may exhibit less than ten rings to 

 the inch. Lumber from second growth trees generally has from 5 to 8 

 rings of annual growth to the inch; that from large old trees from 7 to 

 10. Ten rings to the inch may be considered fine grained for this spe- 

 cies. The green wood weighs about 45 pounds per cubic foot. The kiln- 

 dried wood, average of the tree, weighs about 31 pounds to the cubic 

 foot, the specific gravity being about .50. It is about five pounds per 

 cubic foot lighter than that of the longleaf pine, five pounds heavier than 

 that of white pine, and slightly heavier than that of the shortleaf 

 pine of the Piedmont. But the wood varies considerably in weight. 

 That from the lower part of the stem of 'trees which have hard, 

 compact wood with wide summer wood in the annual ring (Plate 



IX, A) weighs more than 35 pounds per cubic foot; while that 

 from the upper part of the stem of trees with narrow summer wood 

 in the ring of annual growth weighs less than the average (Plate 



X, A), commercial wood being largely from the lower part of the 

 stem averages about 33 pounds to the cubic foot for kiln-dried material. 

 The green wood has a shipping weight of 4,200 pounds for 1,000 feet of 

 inch boards, while the kiln-dried wood weighs about 3,100 pounds per 

 1,000 feet of inch boards. Moisture forms 50 per cent of the weight of 

 fresh sapwood and about 25 per cent of the weight of the heartwood. 

 While the wood is weaker (in proportion to its weight) in tensile, shear- 

 ing, and bending strength than that of either longleaf pine or white 

 pine, it is relatively stronger than that of the shortleaf pine. On 'ac- 

 count of its relative weakness it is not so desirable a wood as white pine 

 for certain uses, such as doors and small packing boxes. 



Heartwood begins to form between the twentieth and thirtieth year?, 

 earlier on good soils and in rapidly growing trees than on poor soib 

 and in slowly growing intermediate or suppressed trees. The number 

 of rings of sapwood does not remain the same throughout the life of the 

 trees, but increases with age. A tree thirty years old is practically all 

 sapwood, seldom having more than a small core of heartwood in the 

 butt log. Trees one hundred years old have from 60 to 65 rings of 

 sapwood, while trees 200 years old commonly have from 90 to 95 rings. 

 Less than one-third of the volume of trees between seventy and one hun- 

 dred years old is heartwood; and less than one-half of the volume of 

 trees between 100 and 150 years old. Since the sapwood of this pine, on 

 account of its clearness of knots, uniformly bright color, and freedom 

 from pitch is esteemed for interior woodwork fully as highly as the 

 heartwood, the large proportion of sapwood is considered advantageous 

 rather than otherwise. (Plate XII, B.) 



The wood is considerably less resinous than that of the longleaf pine, 

 but more so than that of the shortleaf or white pine. Dr. Chas. H. 

 Herty, the well-known authority on turpentine, says that the oleoresin 



