LONGLEAF PINE 153 



grained, and its fibrous structure compact. The medullary 

 rays are neither large nor conspicuous. In addition to its 

 stiffness the wood is elastic. It is used for a large number 

 of purposes. Its tall, straight, and stiff stems have long 

 furnished masts for vessels. No better timber can be found 

 for the construction of railroad cars. The heartwood is 

 largely used for railroad ties, and it enters into heavy con- 

 struction work, such as bridges, trestles, long beams, and 

 the like. It is largely employed for inside finish, taking var- 

 nish well, and when the heartwood is properly sawed it has 

 no equal for flooring, except Sugar Maple, which is superior 

 in halls and other public places where great wear comes. 



Longleaf Pine is emphatically a light-demanding tree, 

 so much so that small trees seedlings are rarely found 

 where the crowns of larger ones shade the ground. Its de- 

 mand for light begins with its birth, and this insistence 

 accounts for the absence of seedlings where the ground is 

 shaded. Even when growing in the open its lower limbs 

 will die and drop off on account of the shade of those 

 above, leaving a fairly clean stem. 



While the tree will sometimes bear cones at from twenty 

 to twenty-five years of age, it cannot be depended upon to 

 furnish an abundance of seed at that age, and when ma- 

 ture it is not a prolific seed-bearer. The cones are from six 

 to nine inches long, slightly curved, and with thick, blunt 

 scales carrying a sharp point or beak at the end. The seeds 

 ripen in late summer and the cones open only in dry 

 weather. If the weather does not prove favorable they may 

 not open until the middle of autumn. The seeds germinate 

 readily when under favorable conditions, and it is not un- 

 usual to find them sprouted before winter sets in. The cones 

 should be gathered as soon as the seeds are ripe, carefully 

 dried, and the seeds shaken out, for if they remain wet 

 there is great danger that they will either sprout or mould. 

 The seeds are larger than those of the White Pine, with 

 proportionally larger wings. They are edible and are de- 

 voured by squirrels and other seed-eating animals. 



