THE FORESTS OF NORTH CAROLINA. 225 



third actually in cultivation. In these last years, 

 timber has been cut very fast for building material, 

 tobacco boxes, spokes and handles, and shuttle 

 blocks, and especially as fuel for our growing towns, 

 but I am happy to add that our " fence law " area is 

 widening too, and the young growth on many an old 

 hillside gives cheering promise for the future. — J. 

 W. F. 



Gates. (375 sq. miles.) — Gatlington, Sept. 20, 

 1882. — Our forests contain pine, three varieties : 

 long-strawed, medium-strawed or ordinary, and the 

 short-strawed or rosemary ; oak, several varieties, 

 named in order of the prevailing varieties — red, 

 white, post, black jack, water, Spanish, turkey, chin- 

 quapin, and the over-cup ; ash ; gum, sweet, black, 

 and papaw; poplar, persimmon, juniper, cypress, 

 cedar, a sprinkling of mulberry, holly, maple, dog- 

 wood, sour-wood, elm, beech, birch, and some few 

 others. The long-leaved pine is confined mostly to 

 the sand banks bordering the Chowan River, though 

 it is found to some extent wherever the land is sandy. 

 It has all been cut, or nearly so. The prevailing 

 varieties are the ordinary pine, oak (red and white), 

 gum (sweet and black), ash, hickory. 



I suppose fully three fourths of the area of this 

 county is covered by forest, including old fields. 

 There is a large quantity of pine timber and a good 

 deal of oak. The pine, oak, and cypress are being 

 rapidly cut and in a few years will all be gone. — J. 

 J. G. 



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