328 The Pines. 



derives its common name from coming up spontaneously in aban- 

 doned fields. It grows from 50 to 70 feet in height, with a diame- 

 er of two to three feet, and a spreading top. The wood is sappy 

 and coarse, liable to warp and shrink, and is not durable on expo- 

 sure. It is sometimes tapped for turpentine, but yields less than the 

 long-leaved pine. 



1329. Varieties are known in North Carolina as " Swamp Pine," 

 " Slash Pine," and about Wilmington as the " Rosemary Pine." In 

 the West-Roanoke Swamps, it has been found 5 feet in diameter, 

 and 150 to 170 feet in height. 



1330. Pitch Pine (Pinus rigidd). This pine grows to great ad- 

 vantage upon sandy soils in New England and New York, and ex- 

 tends into the Western and Southern States. It has been seen in 

 Maine and Massachusetts, four to five feet in diameter and 100 feet 

 high, but its usual size is from 40 to 50 feet and its diameter from 

 one to two feet. It grows very rapidly in early life, and ou account 

 of its deeply penetrating roots it is difficult to plant, and is usually 

 sown in the place where it is to grow. It has been found peculiarly 

 well adapted to the sandy soil upon Cape Cod, and in other light 

 soils near the sea coast. 



1331. The custom of planting there is as follows: In the latter 

 part of October the cones are gathered, put up in boxes or barrels, 

 and kept in a cool place. Before spring they will have mostly 

 opened, and the seeds will readily come out. Sometimes they are 

 heated a little, but this is liable to injure the vitality of the seed. 

 From a half to three-fourths of a pound will plant an acre of land, 

 and the seed is worth from $1.25 to $1.50 perpound. A bushel of 

 cones will produce about a pound of seed. 



1332. They may be planted at any time of the year, but best in 

 early spring, as soon as the frost is out of the ground. The custom 

 generally is, to run a series of furrows 5 or 6 feet apart over the 

 land, but some plant in rows only 4 feet apart, while others allow a 

 space of 8 to 10 feet. The seeds are dropj)ed in by hand, three or 

 four in a place, and about three feet apart, and are very slightly 

 covered with a hoe. Sometimes a seed-planter is used, and at much 

 less cost of labor, with good success. A boy should foUow to cover 

 up the seeds not covered. 



1333. The cost of planting varies from $3 to $5 per acre. Gen- 

 erally no further care is taken, the trees coming up of themselves. 



