6 BULLETIN 1061, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Cut-over lands on which there are seed trees are worth more than 

 denuded lands, for the reason that they are earning an income from 

 the growth of the trees, which is accelerated by the increased supply 

 of light and soil moisture, and from the constantly enhancing value 

 of the young forest stands. It is claimed by some practical lumber- 

 men that the value of such lands with young growth will be "doubled 

 within about 5 years after logging. These factors do not diminish 

 the prospective value of these lands for agriculture or interfere 

 to an appreciable degree with the use of the land for grazing. Lands 

 that contain some timber are more valuable for farms than are 

 " skinned " cut-over lands, because a supply of timber is available for 

 sale and for home use, there is shade in the pastures, and the trees 

 make the homes more attractive. 



RATE OF GROWTH. 



During the first 30 to 60 years of its life — the period under special 

 consideration in this bulletin — and on the better soils or situations 

 where it occurs, longleaf pine grows at a moderate to rapid rate. 

 The general rating of longleaf as a slow-growing species of pine is 

 the result of the almost exclusive handling and consideration of old 

 timber, which grows at a slow or very slow rate. 



The rate of growth shows wide variations, apparently related 

 closely to differences in the depth and texture of the soil and its 

 supply of soil moisture. Because many of the longleaf pine soils 

 are subject to periods of extreme dryness, the slow growth in many 

 natural unthinned stands and the comparativel}' wide spacing found 

 in older longleaf stands are often attributed to the competition of the 

 roots for soil moisture rather than of the branches for light. An 

 important determining factor in the rate of growth of the indi- 

 vidual trees is their density, or the number of trees per acre in the 

 stand, at any specified age. Growth in diameter is particularly 

 influenced by this condition. 



During the first few years the growth of young seedlings con- 

 sists chiefly in the development of a large root system. A very 

 stout long taproot, accompanied by several large laterals and many 

 smaller ones, underlies and supports a very short stem, crowned 

 with a dense tuft of long, drooping, grasslike foliage. This period 

 of apparently little activity is very deceptive and has been one 

 cause of the general impression that longleaf is a very slow grower. 

 Generally, from 3 to 5 years are required for longleaf to reach the 

 height of 6 inches to a foot and develop the requisite root system 

 for making the rapid " shoot " upward which follows. Under pro- 

 tection from fires, it is known that on loamy sand in the upper 



