198 FORESTS OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



broad-leaf trees, whose seedlings are light-bearing, appear, Span- 

 ish, post, and white oaks, white hickory, dogwood, and sourwood. 



IMPROVEMENT OF THE FORESTS. 



These forests are capable of yielding large-sized oak and hick- 

 ory timber. The white and black oaks are the most valuable 

 trees growing on these soils, and are better adapted to them than 

 the others ; the Spanish oak is less suited. Of the hickories the 

 sinallnut and the white make the most rapid growth and thrive 

 better on this stiffer soil ; the small-nut on the shadier slopes or 

 where the stiffest soils prevail ; the white where the soils are drier 

 or not so stiff. The short-leaf pine will attain a large size and 

 make exceedingly rapid growth, either in growth with other trees 

 or when growing alone. 



Browsing cattle and hogs should be excluded, and iires, which 

 at present are of seldom occurrence, should be guarded against. 

 Where the woods have not been pastured there is usually a heavy 

 stand of young trees beneath the old ones, and generally of the 

 same kind, although not by any means in the same proportion. 

 There are great numbers of white oaks, especially four-year-old 

 seedlings, and thickets of saplings, from the two latest heavy masts, 

 around arid beneath seed-bearing trees ; and this young growth 

 is most promising. Defective old trees, or objectionable species, 

 black gums, scarlet oak and other trees of less value which by 

 their shade are interfering with such young growth should be 

 removed, and if it will pay to turn them into cord-wood they 

 should be cut up and hauled out, as little cutting and injury being 

 inflicted on the young growth as is possible. 



There is in some places much mature timber : when it is post 

 oak, chiefly suitable for railway ties; when white and black oaks, 

 it will yield small-sized milling timber, and this is often standing 

 to the great detriment of the thick young growth beneath it, and 

 might well be partly removed to give the young growth an oppor- 

 tunity for development. 



Where pasturage has been uninterruptedly practiced for many 

 years and the woods are open beneath, there being no underwood 

 of young trees, an absolute exclusion of cattle is demanded in 



