LIFE HISTORY OF SHORTLEAF PINE. 6 



region between Virginia and northern Alabama and Mississippi. 

 The total area of its commercial range covers not less than 280,000 

 square miles. The production reaches its maximum over the gently 

 rolling and hilly country of the Mississippi basin in northern Louisi- 

 ana, most of eastern Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and eastern Texas. 

 In common with practically all other commercial pines, the economic 

 range of shortleaf has become greatly reduced, and over the extreme 

 northern part it has been almost driven out by close utilization and 



Fig. 1. — Botanical and commercial range of shortleaf pine. 



the consequent encroachment of hardwoods. In the upper portions 

 of the Atlantic coastal plain it is to a considerable extent being 

 replaced by loblolly pine on abandoned fields. The early clearing 

 for agriculture of the lighter and better-drained soils greatly decreased 

 the shortleaf seed trees and correspondingly increased the relative 

 proportion of loblolly seed trees, which were left growing along the 

 watercourses and on low heavy soils, where they find a congenial 

 home. 



