FORESTS OF THE LOWLANDS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN. 169 



the area occupied by it is comparatively small. The transi- 

 tional forest is best developed in the western part of Montgomery 

 county, where it forms a belt three to six miles in width. The 

 trees most abundantly associated with the long-leaf pine are the 

 black-jack oak, post oak, Spanish oak, and white oak, and white 

 hickory ; these form a low growth, 30 to 50 feet in height, and are 

 overtopped by the long-leaf pine, which is 60 to 90 feet in height. 

 In some localities the pine forms as much as one-fourth of the 

 entire growth ; usually, however, much less. 



The loblollv pine which is associated with the broad-leaf trees 

 in these transitional counties, is very largely second growth. 



The long-leaf pine has been extensively culled in "Wake and 

 Nash counties, and but little merchantable timber of that species 

 remains ; in Montgomery county, however, the forests are still 

 intact. 



The long-leaf pine is failing to reproduce itself in these forests 

 fpr the same reasons that were given for its scanty reproduction in 

 its competition with the loblolly pine ; here, the competition is 

 with broad-leaf species. 



All the transitional forests lie within the Piedmont plateau 

 region, the forest soils being derived for the most part from crys- 

 talline rocks, and are more fertile or at least better suited for tree 

 growth than most of the soils in the coastal plain on which the 

 long-leaf pine is found growing. 



FORESTS OF THE LOWLANDS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN. 



These forests occur on lands which are swampy or inundated- 

 during at least a part of the growing season, and are naturally 

 separable into four divisions which differ in the character of the 

 dominant economic growth : 



(1.) In which numerous broad-leaf trees, chiefly oaks, constitute 

 the greater portion of the growth — the oak flats. 



(2.) In which gums and cypress constitute the chief growth 

 — the gum and cypress swamps. 



(3. j In which the white cedar occurs— the white cedar swamps. 



