150 FORESTS OF NOKTH CAROLINA. 



soils grew the loblolly pine, forming a ruling pure growth or 

 coordinate with broad-leaf trees. To the north of the Roanoke 

 river the long-leaf pine probably formed only two extensive 

 forests: one on the sandy area extending north and south through 

 Gates county, the other on " long ridge," an elevated body of sand 

 lying to the south of the Dismal Swamp. To the south of the 

 Roanoke river, the areas of sandy soils with the accompanying 

 growth of long-leaf pine were more frequent, extensive bodies 

 occurring in Halifax, Bertie, and Edgecombe counties; while in 

 Wayne and Nash counties, to the north of the Neuse river, began 

 the forests of this tree, which extended with their continuity 

 scarcely b oken exce[)t by the water courses, west to the oak 

 uplands of the Piedmont plateau and southwestward to the Gulf 

 of Mexico. Within this area, only adjacent to the swamps were 

 there at the iirst settlement of this country more than scattered 

 trees of the loblolly pine. 



The influence of man in changing and modifying the distribu- 

 tion of these trees in the two hundred years that have followed 

 has been enormous. 



To the north of the Neuse river the long-leaf pine has nearly 

 disappeared. Occasional solitary trees are still to be found among 

 other kinds of pines, or broad-leaf tiees, and on the sand hills of 

 Wayne county, and in the flats of the great Dover swamp, groups 

 of a few trees yet occur; but their commeicial value as forest 

 trees in this section has passed away. The short-leaf pine has as 

 thoroughly disapp>eared from the counties lying to the north of 

 the Tar river as has tlie long- leaf; the Idhlolly pine with an 

 accompanying growth of small broad-leaf trees has succeeded both. 



At the present time tiie forest of the uplands are separable into 

 two divisions with distinct arborescent growth : 



(1.) That in which the long-leaf pine is the dominant economic 

 tree : the long leaf pine woodland. 



(2.) That in which the loblolly pine is the dominant economic 

 tree : the level pine woodland. 



In the present aspect of tHe forest there is no sharp line of 

 demarcation between the tw^o, but a differentiation is made for 

 simplifying their consideration, as tliere are large areas, particu- 



