most abundant at middle altitudes that is, between 500 and 2,000 

 feet and in plantations can be expected to succeed best within these 

 limits of altitude and in this region. In New Jersey and south- 

 eastern Pennsylvania it is rare, but is desirable for planting on soils 

 too dry for white pine. Farther south, in the rolling plateau region, 

 it is very common, and it is suitable for planting on all upland soils. 

 Its distribution lies largely to the north and west of that of loblolly 

 and longleaf pines, and consequently it is infrequent in the coastal 

 plain south of the Roanoke River, although, mixed with longleaf 

 pine and hard woods, it is occasionally found on bluffs and banks as 

 far east as the south Atlantic coast and as far south as northern 

 Florida and to points well within the coastal plain in Mississippi, 

 Louisiana, and Texas. In northern Mississippi it occurs in large 

 isolated bodies, becoming less common northward through Tennessee 

 and Kentuclry, and finding its northern limits west of the Alleghenies 

 in southern Ohio and southern Indiana. It is seldom found in the 

 Mississippi Delta region and is not recommended for planting there. 

 West of the Mississippi it extends to southwestern Missouri and east- 

 ern Oklahoma, and south to the Sabine River in Texas, reaching its 

 best development in northwestern Louisiana, Arkansas, southwestern 

 Missouri, and northeastern Texas, where its forests, nearly pure, at 

 one time covered thousands of square miles. East of the Mississippi 

 the pure stands of young growth in old fields cover many thousands 

 of acres. Throughout the entire area of its distribution it is one of 

 the most desirable conifers for planting on suitable sites outside of 

 its natural range, and it can be recommended for planting on suitable 

 soils in southern New England, southern New York, southern and 

 eastern Ohio, southern Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and eastern 

 Kansas. It is not suitable for planting on sandy soils of the coastal 

 plain or above 1,000 feet altitude in Pennsylvania, 1,500 feet in West 

 Virginia, or 2,000 feet in North Carolina and Tennessee. 



SOIL REQUIREMENTS. 



Shortleaf pine requires a deep and thoroughly drained soil, which 

 must not be too sandy. It is not suited for planting on bottom land 

 or on flat, poorly drained uplands. On shallow soils it attains only 

 small size. Thoroughly drained soils such as occur on hills and 

 slopes afford most congenial sites for plantations. 



USES OF THE WOOD. 



The wood of shortleaf pine is soft, light, straight-grained, and 

 easily worked. "The heartwood, which usually forms about one-half 

 of the volume of trees more than 14 inches in diameter, is light 

 brownish yellow, or orange, durable on exposure, and will not warp. 



[Cir. 182] 



