FORESTS OF THE PIEDMONT PLATEAU REGION. 181 



the pine, however, in time returns. Although seed-years are fre- 

 quent, the crop is usually small. The cones remain attached to 

 the limbs for a long period, often retaining the seed for several 

 seasons. The seed retains its germinative powers for many years 

 and may sprout the spring of the first or second season after fall- 

 ing to the ground. As the trees do not grow in thick stands, they 

 fail to clear their stocks until of a large size. Through the dead 

 branches and knot-holes many rot-causing fungi find entrance. 

 Many large trees are unsound from this cause. 



This pine produces very little merchantable timber, though if 

 iires are kept from destroying them the yield would riot only be 

 larger but of a better quality. In a few limited districts a con- 

 siderable part of the saw-logs are from this species. It is chiefly 

 of importance on account of the large areas in the State on which 

 it occurs as the only timber tree. 



FORESTS OF THE PIEDMONT PLATEAU REGION. 



The differences in the character of the forests of the Piedmont 

 plateau region are the results of the influence of variations in 

 the quality of the soils, and in the altitude of the surface 

 above the sea level. The precipitation is nearly the same 

 in all sections of the region, and there is very little differ- 

 ence in the relative humidity between even extreme localities 

 within its limits; so these factors exert only unimportant influ- 

 ence. The variations in elevation, too, are so gradual through- 

 out the greater part of the region as to affect only slightly 

 the composition of the forest, except when those of extreme 

 distances are compared ; but on the southeastern border, on the 

 abrupt rise marking the transition to this region from the coastal 

 plain, these forests contain certain species which are representa- 

 tive of the latter region, the distribution of some trees extending 

 even much further to the westward ; while other species charac- 

 teristic of the sylva of the higher mountains penetrate from the 

 northwest far to the eastward, but usually occur only around the 

 spurs of the Blue Ridge or the isolated peaks situated beyond them 

 in the Piedmont plateau. The forests of the eastern lowlands of 



