154 FORESTS OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



fires, liiniberii)g-, and a reckless system of tnrpentinini!; that the 

 lands may he classed as waste, there being on, them neither mer- 

 chantable trees nor yontig growth of any species which will, in the 

 course of time, yield timh>er. Nearly all of the waste land in the 

 eastern counties lies in the pine barrens, the larger areas being 

 in Wayne, Sampson, Bladen, Brunswick, Harnett, Cutnberland, 

 Moore, and Richmond counties. The entire area of waste land is 

 about 400,000 a. -res. 



The waste lands are due to the failure of the longdeaf pine to 

 reproduce itself to any considerable extent in these vast areas. 

 Their ])resent condition has been gradually matured, and the 

 causes which have produced it may now be seen in operation in 

 nearly any unprotected wood of long-leaf pine, where there is no 

 young growth of this tree. The scanty reproduction is due 

 largely to the fires which in many places pass over the land every 

 year consuming the dead herbage, the wire grass and tlie leaves of 

 the scrub oaks, and destroying the slow growling young pines, 

 which by the end of the fifth year have o-nly reached a height of 

 3 to 5 inches above the ground; the infrequent seeding of the 

 old trees; the enormous destruction of the seed by hogs and fowls 

 when there is a seed-year; the further depredations made by hogs 

 digging up the plant to get the root. It is doubtful if the partial 

 shade of the scrub oaks is sutficient to interfere seriously with the 

 development of the young plant, as great as are its requirements 

 for sunlight and warmth. 



The failure of the forests of long-leaf pine to reproduce them- 

 selves naturally, except to a limited extent, on any part of the 

 pine barrens, has already been treated of in a previous report of 

 the Geological Survey. It is a matter of importance, as the land 

 in ;ts present state represents a great amount of capital lying idle 

 which might be made productive to the owner, and give employ- 

 ment to lal)or engaged in handling or manufacturing forest 

 products. It is absolutely essential that the demands necessary 

 for its growth be accorded it — immunity fron\ destruction by fires, 

 protection ngainst the depredations of stock, particularly hogs, 

 both to the seed and the young plant, and protection against the 



