CONDITION OF THE FORESTS. 145 



rolling, and in a few places there are hills with broad rounded 

 crowns, where the force of wind and surf has lifted the loose sand 

 high above the general level. 



CONDITION OF THE FOKESTS. 



The forests of this maritime area are composed chiefly of 

 broad-leaf evergreen trees : water oak, laurel oak, live oak, 

 devilwood, mock-orange, smooth sweet bay, palmetto, yaupon and 

 myrtle, with a single resinous species, the red cedar; while broad- 

 leaf deciduous trees are represented chiefly by the southern lin, 

 prickly ash.* buckthorns, planer-tree and water hickory, but these 

 are not abundant, and are nearly confined to the alluvial soils or 

 those richest in organic matter. The laurel oak and live oak are 

 the most characteristic trees, being common throughout, and not 

 being found in this State farther inland; although to the southward, 

 following the isothermal, they occur far from the coast. Other 

 trees which in this State are limited in their distribution to the 

 maritime forests, are the devilwood, mock-orange, smooth sweet- 

 bay, palmetto, planer-tree and n>agnolia. The water hickory, 

 found on the banks of the larger streams, extends a few miles 

 farther inland than most of these trees, and the same may possibly 

 be true of the planer-tree ; while the water oak, red cedar and 

 one species of buckthorn extend to within the Piedmont plateau 

 region. 



The growth of the original forest where it is yet preserved is 

 from 40 to 60 feet in height, the trees short-boled, the crowns 

 large and spreading, interlaced into a dense canopy. Water oak, 

 laurel oak, live oak, red cedar, smooth sweet bay, holly, and mock- 

 orange, in relative abundance about in the order named, consti- 

 tute from one-half to over three-fourths of the growth. "Where 

 culling has been carried on occasional loblolly pines have gained 

 a foothold, or abundant-seeding species like yaupon,' red cedar and 

 the laurel oak have greatly multiplied. 



Beginning at the Virginia line and passing to the south, there 

 is a constant increase in the number of species present, so that 

 while only a few species are represented beyond the Albemarle 

 sound the number reaches a maximum in this State at and around 



*See p. 19. 

 10 



