94 TIMBER PINES OP THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. 



at present doubtful. Its northern limit west of the Alleghanics can be described by a line drawn 

 from the lower part of Wood County, in West Virginia, to Menifee County, eastern Kentucky. 

 Beyond tin- wide gap covered by the deciduous forests of the lower Ohio Valley and the flood 

 plain of the Mississippi the tree appears on the southeastern spur of the Ozark Hills in Cape 

 (iirardeau County, Mo., latitude 37 30', and on the opposite side of the river on the bluffs in 

 Union and Jackson counties, 111., the line dropping gradually half a degree southward to the 

 western limit of its range. (PI. XIV.) 



The Shortleaf Pine is a tree of the plain and the foothills, in the South rarely ascending to an 

 elevation over 2,500 feet, and at its northern confines not over 1,000 feet (in the Ozark Hills). East 

 of the Mississippi Eiver the tree appears sparsely scattered among the hard-wood trees ; along the 

 border of the Carolinian and within the Austro-ripariau zone it becomes more frequent, and often 

 the predominating tree. West of the Mississippi Eiver the Shortleaf Pine finds its region of 

 greatest profusion, forming forests of vast extent on the uplands of the undulating plain and the 

 table-lands of the hill country, which in their timber wealth and economic importance rival the 

 great lumbering regions farther south. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF DISTRIBUTION IN DIFFERENT REGIONS. 



On the Atlantic Coast, from southern New York to Virginia, judging from the statements 

 of earlier writers, this tree must have formed originally a considerable part of the forests of 

 coniferous evergreens covering the belt of light silicious soils of the Tertiary strata. A. Michaux 

 mentions this species "as not found beyond certain districts in Connecticut, it being multiplied in 

 the lower part of New Jersey, and still more on the eastern shore of Maryland and the lower part 

 of Virginia." From the remarks of this writer on the extensive use of the timber of the Yellow 

 Pine (Shortleaf) it appears that at the time of his writing the beginning of this century it must 

 have been quite abundant in those parts. 



This appears clearly by his statement that "in the Northern and Middle States (of the Atlan- 

 tic Seaboard) and in Virginia, where, to a distance of 150 miles from the sea, all houses are built 

 of wood, the floors, casings of doors, wainscots, and sashes are made of this species, as being 

 more solid and lasting than any other indigenous wood. In the upper part of the Carolinas the 

 houses are constructed wholly of Yellow Pine, and are covered with it." Further on we learn 

 that immense quantities were used in the dockyards of New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, 

 and that Yellow Pine lumber formed a considerable part of the exports to Great Britain and 

 the West Indies. Since that time this tree has in the region mentioned not only long ceased to 

 be a source of timber, but has generally become quite scarce. According to the information of 

 Dr. N. L. Britton, "it grows on the coast of New York naturally only on Staten Island, and 

 only about twenty-five trees are to be found in Richmond County. It is fairly abundant in the 

 portion of New Jersey from the Baritan Biver to Delaware Bay, forming forests, on a tract not 

 more than 8 miles, and it is also found in Delaware on the same formation outcrop of Green Sand." 



With the appearance of the Longleaf Pine south of Virginia the Shortleaf Pine recedes from 

 the coast and is found chiefly in the upper (interior) part of the Southern coast pine belt, scattered 

 among the mixed growth of coniferous and deciduous trees. Above the upper limit of the Longleaf 

 Pine belt the Shortleaf Pine extends, in the Southern Atlantic States, throughout the interior to 

 the lower ranges of the mountain region. 



West of the Alleghany Mountains, in western Virginia and eastern Tennessee, it occurs only 

 widely scattered, and hence is practically of no importance to the lumbering industry. 



In North Carolina the Shortleaf Pine is found from the coast to the mountains, though in the 

 lower districts enters more rarely into the composition of the upland forests. According to Hale's 

 report on the woods of North Carolina the tree is found in the majority of counties of the State, 

 but is most abundant in the middle district, where, with upland oaks and hickories, it is the 

 prevailing tree. It is found about Asheville, at an altitude of 2,500 feet. The Shortleaf Pine used 

 to form 25 per cent or more of the forest growth in many places, but such areas are not now 

 frequent anywhere. In the latest report on the forests of North Carolina 1 it is stated that there 



1 W. W. Ashe : The Forests, Forest Lands, and Forest Resources of Eastern North Carolina. Bulletin 5, Geol. 

 Survey, N. C., 1894, page 41. 



