TIMBER KEGIONS SUPPLY AND PRODUCTION. 



33 



kSoiitli Carolina. — The forests of Loiigleaf Piue in this State follow more closely the coast line, 

 with an 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, IMagnolia, Red and White I5ay, Laurel Oak, etc., its area has been estimated to be 7,000 

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

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

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

 the Cuban and Tjoblolly Pine, the Lougleaf Pine is rarely seen, and always of dwarfed growth. In 

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

 Longleaf Piue makes its appeai-ance more frequently, and finally i)revails almost exclusively on 

 the broad, dry, sandy ridges, associated with the Barren or Turkey Oak {(Juerciis mtesia't), stunted 

 Spanish Oak, and Upland Willow Oak (Quercus 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 liidgeland, 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 L acre, representing fairly the original timber growth of the forests ou 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 IS inches, ecjual to 2,000 feet, board measure, of tirst 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,'JOO feet, board measure, age on the average 140 years; 

 12 trees yielded 35 feet length of clear timber with mean diameter of 10 inches, equal to 3,000 

 feet of merchantable lumber, age from 130 to 13G years; 8 trees averaged 12 inches mean diameter, 

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

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

 200 feet of lumber, age from SO 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 tind)er lands. 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 stauding has escaped the ax of the "bo.t" cutter. The 

 receipts of naval stores at Charleston during the ten years Irom 1880 to 1890 averaged aunually 

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

 largest receipts in 18S0 of 00,000 casks of spirits of turpentine and 259,940 barrels of rosin, and 

 the smallest of 40,2.53 casks of si)irits in 188S, and 149,348 barrels of rosin in 1SS9. 



Tub, 



stalcment of the xhipmenta of naval stores at Charlealnn, S. C, from the beginning of ISS'l t'> the clove of the year 1894. 

 [From the iiunual statements of the commerce of Cliiirleston, S. C, puulishcil fu tlio Omrle.'iton Courier.*! 



' Tlie annual receipts ou liio average equal tbc 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 ou the pine ridges of the low 

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

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

 opened to cultivatiou. These rolling pine lands rise on their northern l>orders abruptly to a 

 range of steep hills over 000 feet above sea level, covered with a rather scanty growth of Longleaf 

 25(i0()— Xo. 13—02 3 



