GEOWING PINE TIMBER FOR PROFIT IN" THE SOUTH 6 



quence there had been practically no reproduction of slash or loblolly 

 for about 40 years, but there is a splendid stand of growing long leaf 

 throughout most of the forest. 



The demonstration is in charge of a forester with three assistants. 

 The plan adopted calls for the immediate cutting of the merchantable 

 timber, with the exception of long leaf and slash. The mature long 

 leaf will be turpentined before being cut, and all of the slash pine 

 will be preserved for seed trees. Fires are being controlled by fire 

 lines around and through the forests, the fire lines being seeded with 

 fire-resistant carpet grass. On account of its quicker growth and 

 larger yield of naval stores, it is proposed to get a stand of slash 

 pine in most of the forest as fast as possible at moderate cost. This 

 is being done b}^ transplanting from seed beds and by giving special 

 attention to protecting from fire the young slash pine from natural 

 reseeding. 



In June, 1925, a lumber operation, under contract, was started at 

 Demonstration Forest Station, cutting loblolly 14 inches or more in 

 diameter at breast height, and later a similar operation was carried 

 on at Ridgeville by the forest force. Both of these have been termi- 

 nated, a total of 3,718,559 feet having been sawed. A conservative 

 turpentine operation is being carried on under an advantageous con- 

 tract. Notwithstanding falling markets for lumber and naval stores, 

 moderate profits have been realized from both operations. Recently 

 the timber on two smaller outlying tracts has been sold on the 

 stump, and negotiations are under way for the sale of stumpage on 

 another tract. There is still a substantial amount of merchantable 

 loblolly on the demonstration forest tract, and this, together with the 

 hardwood, may be sold on the stumpage basis, all cutting to be done 

 under the supervision of a Southern Railway forester. 



Careful and accurate accounts are being kept of every feature of 

 this operation, and it is expected that within a few years data will 

 be available that will be of great value to the owners of similar 

 lands. It is expected that the accounts will demonstrate conclusively 

 that there are large areas on the coastal plain that may profitably be 

 devoted to the growing of successive crops of trees. As Southern 

 Railway forest lands are not fenced, they are not being pastured, but 

 data obtained from the Mississippi experiment station and from other 

 sources show conclusively that coastal plane pine forests well set with 

 carpet grass afford unexcelled pasturage for cattle, at the same time 

 benefiting the forest, for carpet grass is most valuable as a fire bar- 

 rier when it is closely grazed. 



FIRE PREVENTION PAYS * 



By Henry H. Tryon, Formerly State Extension Forester, South Carolina 



In support of the writer's claim that fire can be kept out of the 

 woods and that it pays, the following comparative statements are 

 offered. They cover conditions where no forest-fire protection has 

 been given, and in contrast where such protection has been had for 

 25 years. The location is Cumberland County, N. C, and the figures 



1 Tryon, H. H. forests and forestry in south Carolina. Clemson Agr. Col., S. C, 

 Ext. Bui. 81, 40 pp., illus. 1926. 



