52 



FORESTRY INVESTIGATIONS U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



improving qualities; practically not capable of reproduction by sprouting from the stocks or cuttings; mostly 

 periodical seeders; persistent growers. 



PINES. The most useful conifers and most important forest trees, mostly of the plain; reaching desirable 

 development in comparatively dry, even barren, situations. Mostly needing light; tolerably rapi.l growers: best 

 on light sandy soils with clay subsoil. 



Characteristics. Leaves arranged in twos, threes, or fives in one sheath; cones with thickened scales: seeds 

 iilrnoud-shaped, nut-like, of mottled appearance, with their wings only lightly attached: maturing the second year, 

 and preserving their germinating power well. Sixty to seventy species, of which thirty-live are indigenous to the 



I'nited States. 



Hood. Very variable, very light and soft in "soff pine, such as white pine; of medium weight to heavy and 

 quite hard in "hard" pine, of which 'Longleaf or Georgia pine is the extreme form. Usually it is still', quite strong, 

 of even texture, and more or less resinous. The sapwood is yellowish-white; the heartwood, oranye brown. 1'ine 

 shrinks moderately, seasons rapidly and without much injury; it works easily ; is never too hard to nail (unlike oak 

 or hickory); it is mostly quite durable, and if well seasoned is not subject to the attacks of boring insects. The 

 heavier the' wood, the darker, stronger, and harder it is, and the more it shrinks and checks. Tine is used more 

 extensively than any other kind of wood. It is the principal wood in common carpentry, as well as in all heavy 

 construction, bridges, trestles, etc. It is also used in almost every other wood industry, for spars, masts, planks, 

 and timbers in shipbuilding, in car and wagon construction, in cooperage, for crates and boxes, in furniture work, 

 for toys and patterns, railway ties, water pipes, excelsior, etc. Pines are usually large trees with few branches, the 

 straight, cylindrical, useful stem forming by far the greatest part of the tree; they occur in vast forests, a fact 

 which greatly facilitates their utilization. 



List of one hundred species of trees of the United Slates most valuable for Umber, with notes on Ilicii- ran<i<- of ilixtrilmtioti, 

 cultural requirements, and the character and uses of their wood. 



Name of species and limit of size. 



1 WHITE PIIVE 



(i'httts strobvs Linn.) 



Height, 120 feet + ; diameter, 

 a feet + . 



2. RED PIKE. 



(NORWAY PINE.) 

 ( Pinus resinosa Ait.) 



Height, 100 feet + ; dianici. r 

 2J feet +. 



3. PITCH PINE 



(1'imis rigida Miller.) 



Height, 50 feet + ; diameter, 

 lj'feet + . 



4. JACK PINE 



(SCRUB PINE. PRINCE'S PINE.) 

 (Pimm divaricata (Ait.) fiord.) 



Height, 60 feet + ; diameter, 

 llbot+. 



5. SCKrii l'I\K 



(Pinus mrginiana Mill. I 



Height, 8(1 feet + ; diameter, 

 2 feet t . 



6. I.OM^I.I.AI PINE... 



(SOUTHERN I'lXE. YELLOW 

 PINE. GEORGIA PLNE. HARD 

 PINE.) 



(1'iniin pahtstris Miller.) 



Height, 100 feet + : diam- 

 eter, 2J feet + . 



7. NIIOIC i i.i: \i I-IM: 



(BULL PINE. YELLOW PINE. 

 SPRUCK I'IXE.) 



(I'inut ecHnata Miller.) 



Height, mifect-j-i diameter, 

 2 feet +-. 



Regions of abundant growth. 



Northern; wide range, forming 

 forests to Southern mountains. 



Ilest development in region of the 

 Great Lakes. 



Northern ; associated mostly with 

 White Pine. 



Greatest development from Michi- 

 gan to Minnesota. 



Northeastern and Middle Atlantic 



States. 



Northern (in United States), form- 

 ing forests far north. 



Greatest development north of 

 Lake Superior, 



Middle Atlantic region . 



South Atlantic and Gulf States. . . 



Middle Atlantic and Southern 



Stairs: associated mostly with 

 hardwood trees. 



Best i!r\ clopnient in western Lou- 

 isiana, southern Arkansas, and 

 eastern Texas. 



Soil and climate, and characteristics of gro th. 



Best on light, sandy, fresh, deep soil, hut successful on a large 

 range of soils from dry to moist. Kapid grower; endures 

 some shade; hardy, hut little tolerant ofdnmijit . 



The mint important conifer of the United States; gond quality, 

 however, only in centenarians. Is hest mixed with deciduous 

 trees; of rather slow, hut high percentage of germination ; 

 plant one or two-j-ear-old transplanted seedlings, nr sow. 



Soils like those of "White Pine; adapted to many soils, luit hest 

 quality of timber produced in well-drained sands. Extremely 

 hardy; vigorous and rapid grower. 



Should he favored in northern and northeastern planting with 

 White Pine and deciduous trees. So far, seed verv expensive 

 and difficult to obtain. 



Best on fresh to moist sand, but will succeed <>n dry, barren, 

 sandy, or rocky soils, and even on wet. cold, swampy ground, 

 or seacoasts liable to floods. 



A rapid grower, and when young hardy and indifferent! to 

 drought; light-needing; an early seeder; sprouts from tin: 

 stump: not easily transplanted: hest and raxily propagated 

 from seed; mainly for seacoast planting. 



Common on sandy, barren soil. 



Valuable only as first cover for northern pine-barrens. Kapid 

 grower in its youth and easily handled : very hard.\ . eiiduriiii: 

 heat and cohrwell; successful on the plains. 



Common on poor, dry. sandy, gravelly, and clayey soils: less 

 freijiient in rich soils. Moderately rapid grower, quickly 

 taking possession of old, worn-out fields and washed lauds. 



Well drained, loos-, deep sandy loam or gravel. 



Tin' slow growth of first five years (quasi-endogenous) makes 

 its forestry problematic; development dependent on atmos- 

 pheric moisture; least shade-enduring of pines. 



Eare, but plentiful seeder; germinates freely ; can therefore be 

 propagated by sowing seed in permanent place. 



Most valuable pine of the South, but for best quality requires 

 long period of growth (two hundred years?). 



More common on light sandy soil than on low borders of 

 swamps. 



A rather slow grower; will succeed on the poorest .soil. Kasily 

 reproduced: good seeder; light-needing. 



