FOKESTS OF THE LOWLANDS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN. 169 



the area occupied by it is comparatively small. The transi- 

 tional forest is best developed in the western part of Montgomery 

 county, where it forms a belt three to six miles in width. The 

 trees most abundantly associated with the long-leaf pine are the 

 black-jack oak, post oak, Spanish oak, and white oak, and white 

 hickory ; these form a low growth, 30 to 50 feet in height, and are 

 overtopped by the long-leaf pine, which is 60 to 90 feet in height. 

 In some localities the pine forms as much as one-fourth of the 

 entire growth ; usually, however, much less. 



The loblolly pine which is associated with the broad-leaf trees 

 in these transitional counties, is very largely second growth. 



The long-leaf pine lias been extensively culled in AVake and 

 ISTash counties, and but little merchantable timber of that species 

 remains ; in Montgomery county, however, the forests are still 

 intact. 



The long-leaf pine is failing to reproduce itself in these forests 

 for the same reasons that were given for its scanty reproduction in 

 its competition with the loblolly pine ; here, the competition is 

 with broad -leaf species. 



All the transitional forests lie within the Piedmont plateau 

 region, the forest soils being derived for the most part from crys- 

 talline rocks, and are more fertile or at least better suited for tree 

 growth than most of the soils in the coastal plain on which the 

 long-leaf pine is found growing. 



FORESTS OF THE LOWLANDS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN. 



These forests occur on lands which are swampy or inundated 

 during at least a part of the growing season, and are naturally 

 separable into four divisions which differ in the character of the 

 dominant economic growth : 



(1.) In which numerous broad-leaf trees, chiefly oaks, constitute 

 the greater portion of the growth the oak flats. 



(2.) In which gums and cypress constitute the chief growth 

 the gum and cypress swamps. 



(3.) In which the white cedar occurs the white cedar swamps. 



