3G BULLETIN 1061, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



from the later sale of the timber. The progress of good roads is 

 rapid, and it requires only a relatively short sight to anticipate the day 

 when one's young pine will come into its own and have a very real 

 value on the stump. With the higher prices that are being paid for 

 all forest products, including lumber, crossties, poles, piling, fuel 

 wood, paper pulpwood, and turj)entine rights, the proper disposal 

 of young timber is well worth looking after and should offer more 

 than pay for the cutting. 



REFORESTATION. 



One often hears it said that the land will never come back to pine. 

 To a great degree this statement has been justified, and it will be 

 true so long as the prevailing practice continues and the prevailing 

 sentiment maintains that the woods " just will burn and must burn." 

 Getting young longleaf started, however, is not a serious problem. 

 The bulk of the cut-over land has some seed-bearing trees ; through- 

 out much of the South there is probably a sufficient number of seed 

 trees. Contrary to the general belief, cut-over longleaf lands have 

 at rather frequent intervals become well stocked with seedling 

 stands, each in turn of relatively short duration, because of agencies 

 mostly of man's making and mostly under his control. Fire and 

 native hogs have been the undoing of young longleaf pine. Re- 

 forestation thus becomes largely a matter of educating people as to 

 the destructive nature of fire and hogs and as to methods of pro- 

 viding the necessary protection. The reforestation of lands from 

 which all longleaf trees capable of bearing seed have been removed 

 involves the necessity of starting young growth by artificially sowing 

 seed or by planting small seedlings. Both the natural and artificial 

 methods will be briefly considered. 



SEED PRODUCTION AND GERMINATION. 



Longleaf trees bear seeds at intervals of two to four years. In 

 stands some seed is borne almost every year. Apparently about every 

 seven years heavy crops of seed are produced generally over the long- 

 leaf belt. Such heavy seed years occurred in 1913 and 1920, and 

 a fair crop was borne in 1916. Incidentally, the production of a 

 heavy crop of seed is accompanied by a shrinkage in the flow of gum 

 in turpentine operations. An experienced operator, in charge of 

 one of the largest and most up-to-date turpentine plants in the 

 South, estimated that the shrinkage of crude turpentine production 

 in 1920, coincident with the maturing of the heavy seed crop, 

 amounted to 10 to 15 per centof the normal production. 



The seeds are relatively large, averaging about 7,500 to the pound, 

 and rich in food materials. The seeds are provided with wings which 



