﻿SILVICULTURAL 
  NOTES. 
  

  

  27 
  

  

  forest. 
  By 
  ;i 
  natural 
  process 
  of 
  pruning, 
  the 
  lower 
  branches 
  die 
  and 
  

   fall 
  off. 
  while 
  the 
  weaker 
  trees 
  are 
  suppressed 
  in 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  

   existence. 
  Such 
  reproduction 
  can 
  he 
  seen 
  on 
  almost 
  any 
  old 
  Held, 
  and 
  

   if 
  protected 
  from 
  tire 
  it 
  will 
  produce 
  a 
  heavy 
  and 
  valuable 
  stand 
  of 
  

   mature 
  timber. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  connection 
  the 
  areas 
  known 
  as 
  •"hurricane 
  breaks" 
  are 
  of 
  

   interest. 
  Between 
  thirty 
  and 
  forty 
  years 
  ago 
  a 
  tornado 
  completely 
  

   destroyed 
  the 
  forest 
  in 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  wide 
  and 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  

   miles 
  long. 
  This 
  entire 
  area 
  is 
  now 
  grown 
  up 
  with 
  a 
  pole 
  forest 
  of 
  

   Shortleaf 
  and 
  Loblolly 
  Pine, 
  in 
  which 
  hardwoods 
  occur 
  but 
  rarely. 
  

   The 
  pine 
  seed 
  evidently 
  blew 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  surrounding 
  forest. 
  

  

  With 
  open 
  ground 
  and 
  plenty 
  of 
  light 
  there 
  is, 
  then, 
  no 
  difficulty 
  in 
  

   obtaining 
  an 
  excellent 
  reproduction 
  of 
  Shortleaf 
  Pine. 
  The 
  difficulty 
  

   occurs 
  when 
  reproduction 
  is 
  required 
  under 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  shade 
  

   from 
  both 
  broadleaf 
  and 
  coniferous 
  trees, 
  upon 
  ground 
  where 
  the 
  young 
  

   pine 
  must 
  tight 
  for 
  existence 
  with 
  a 
  growth 
  of 
  oak, 
  gum. 
  hickory, 
  and 
  

   other 
  hardwoods, 
  and 
  struggle 
  along 
  against 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  repeated 
  

   fires. 
  After 
  the 
  first 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  years, 
  the 
  period 
  during 
  which 
  this 
  

   species 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  existing 
  under 
  the 
  broken 
  shade 
  of 
  broadleaf 
  

   reproduction, 
  the 
  chances 
  are 
  that, 
  unless 
  the 
  plant 
  has 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

   forcing 
  its 
  leading 
  shoot 
  up 
  through 
  the 
  broadleaf 
  growth 
  surround- 
  

   ing 
  it. 
  it 
  will 
  give 
  up 
  the 
  struggle 
  and 
  yield 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  the 
  hard- 
  

   woods. 
  Fortunately 
  a 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  pine 
  seedlings 
  usually 
  

   succeed 
  in 
  outgrowing 
  and 
  overtopping 
  the 
  hardwoods 
  at 
  this 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  point, 
  and 
  from 
  then 
  on 
  develop 
  rapidly 
  to 
  maturity. 
  Reproduc- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  also 
  difficult 
  on 
  ground 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  grass, 
  

   although 
  a 
  light 
  growth 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  no 
  great 
  influence. 
  

  

  If 
  a 
  good 
  reproduction 
  of 
  Shortleaf 
  Pine 
  is 
  wished 
  for. 
  protection 
  

   against 
  tire 
  is 
  absolutely 
  necessary. 
  

  

  After 
  lumbering 
  under 
  present 
  methods, 
  with 
  the 
  simple 
  addition 
  

   of 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  fire 
  protection 
  and 
  the 
  leaving 
  of 
  an 
  occasional 
  Short- 
  

   leaf 
  Pine 
  above 
  the 
  diameter 
  limit 
  to 
  furnish 
  seed 
  for 
  reproduction, 
  

   the 
  new 
  growth 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  should 
  be 
  excellent. 
  It 
  will 
  appear 
  at 
  

   first 
  as 
  scattering 
  seedlings 
  under 
  the 
  young 
  growth 
  of 
  hardwoods, 
  

   and 
  will 
  slowly 
  push 
  up 
  above 
  the 
  latter. 
  As 
  time 
  goes 
  on 
  it 
  will 
  

   gradually 
  become 
  more 
  dense 
  and 
  tend 
  to 
  form 
  itself 
  into 
  groups. 
  

   Groups 
  will 
  be 
  formed 
  because 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  pine 
  will 
  have 
  an 
  

   easier 
  time 
  of 
  it 
  against 
  the 
  hardwoods 
  than 
  in 
  others. 
  Consequently 
  

   there 
  will 
  be 
  groups 
  of 
  hardwoods 
  where 
  these 
  are 
  too 
  well 
  established 
  

   to 
  be 
  replaced 
  by 
  pine, 
  and 
  groups 
  of 
  pine 
  where 
  the 
  latter 
  wins. 
  

  

  One 
  point 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  reproduction 
  of 
  Shortleaf 
  Pine 
  can 
  

   not 
  be 
  too 
  strongly 
  emphasized. 
  While 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  a 
  young 
  

   growth 
  much 
  superior 
  to 
  that 
  which 
  will 
  follow 
  the 
  usual 
  method 
  of 
  

   lumbering 
  could 
  be 
  obtained 
  if 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  merchantable 
  Shortleaf 
  

   Pine 
  trees 
  were 
  left 
  standing 
  on 
  each 
  acre 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  