TIMBER REGIONS SUPPLY AND PRODUCTION. 



33 



South Carolina. The forests of Longleaf Piiie in this State follow more closely the coast line, 

 with au extension inland averaging 100 miles. The lower parts of the pine belt, or the Savannah 

 region, is low and flat, rising but slowly above the brackish marshes and alluvial lands bordering 

 the sea. Traversed by eight large rivers with wide estuaries and bordered by extensive swamps 

 of Cypress, Magnolia, Ked and White Bay, Laurel Oak, etc., its area has been estimated to be 7,000 

 square miles, 4,500 square miles of which are occupied by swamp lands, including the grassy 

 marshes on th coast. In the low, perfectly level pine barrens, with a soil of tine, compacted, 

 almost impervious sand, covered with the Saw Palmetto, the Pond Pine, and a stunted growth of 

 the Cuban and Loblolly Pine, the Longleaf Pine is rarely seen, and always of dwarfed growth. In 

 the flat woods bordering the alluvial swamps, heavily timbered with Loblolly and Cuban Pine, the 

 Longleaf Pine makes its appearance more frequently, and finally prevails almost exclusively on 

 the broad, dry, sandy ridges, associated with the Barren or Turkey Oak (Quercus catesbai), stunted 

 Spanish Oak, and Upland Willow Oak (Qiiercux cinerea), trees of smaller size forming the under- 

 growth. The timber growth on these ridges is rather open and of good quality. As has been 

 observed near Itidgeland, in the counties of Beaufort and Hampton, the forests have to a large 

 extent given way to the plow, and along the railroads they have been destroyed by turpentine 

 orcharding. Upon 1 acre, representing fairly the original timber growth of the forests on these 

 ridges, 48 trees of a diameter of from 12 to 24 inches at breast high, with a height of from 50 to 110 

 feet, were found. Of these, 4 yielded sticks of clear timber averaging 45 feet in length with mean 

 diameter of 18 inches, equal to 2,000 feet, board measure, of first-class lumber. These trees varied 

 in age from 130 to 145 years; 8 trees yielded sticks of timber free from limbs 40 feet in length 

 with mean diameter of 17 inches, equal to 3,200 feet, board measure, age on the average 140 years; 

 12 trees yielded 35 feet length of clear timber with mean diameter of 16 inches, equal to 3,600 

 feet of merchantable lumber, age from 130 to 136 years; 8 trees averaged 12 inches mean diameter, 

 length of timber 30 feet, equal to 950 feet, board measure, age from 110 to 118 years; 4 trees 

 averaged 10 inches mean diameter, length of clear timber 24 feet, wood sappy throughout, yielding 

 201) feet of lumber, age from 80 to 85 years. 



The total yield of merchantable lumber of this acre would be 9,950 feet, board measure, repre- 

 senting the average of the better quality of these timber lauds. As in the adjoining States, the 

 forests along the railroad lines for a wide distance have been subjected to turpentine orcharding, 

 and but a small percentage of the timber standing has escaped the ax of the "box" cutter. The 

 receipts of naval stores at Charleston during the ten years from 1880 to 1890 averaged annually 

 57,570 casks (50 gallons to a cask) of spirits of turpentine and 225,920 barrels of rosin, with the 

 largest receipts in 1880 of 60,000 casks of spirits of turpentine and 259,940 barrels of rosin, and 

 the smallest of 40,253 casks of spirits in 1888, and 149,348 barrels of rosin in 1889. 



Tabular xtatement of the xhipments of naval stores at Charleston, X. C.,from the beginning of 1SSO to the clone of the year 189-i. 

 [From the annual statements of the commerce of Charleston, S. C., published in the Charleston Courier.*] 



* The annual receipts on the average equal the exports. 



The rolling pine hills bordering upon the flat woods, or swamps, reach elevations of 130 to 

 250 feet above the sea, with a width of from 20 to 40 miles, and, as on the pine ridges of the low 

 pine barrens mentioned before, the upland oaks form the sparse undergrowth in the forests of 

 Longleaf I'ine. Nearly one-third of the area (estimated at about 4,500 square miles) has been 

 opened to cultivation. These rolling pine lands rise on their northern borders abruptly to a 

 range of steep hills over 600 feet above sea level, covered with a rather scanty growth of Lougleaf 

 7092 No. 13 3 



