A STUDY OF THE SPECIES. 15 



SOUTHERLY SLOPE. 



The soil of Southerly Slope is shallow and dry, with little humus. 

 The lack of moisture prevents the decay of the leaves, most of which 

 are blown away b} T the prevailing south winds. The forest is inferior 

 to that upon Northerly Slope. The trees are limby and short, and 

 stand in small groups. Many are hollow from decay. Valuable trees 

 such as Red Oak, Shagbark, Black Walnut, Black Cherry, Tulip-tree, 

 Sugar Maple, and White Ash never occur on Southerly Slope, and 

 White Elm, White Basswood, Cucumber-tree, Yellow Buckeye, and 

 Locust are seldom found. There is very little reproduction. 



The scarcity of leaves on Southerly Slope tends to make fire rare. 

 The exposure of the trees to the south winds favors windfalls, which 

 are more common here than elsewhere, on account of the shallow soil. 



A STUDY OF THE SPECIES. 



The following tree descriptions, although made from observations 

 not confined to The University Domain, are intended to appi}^ particu- 

 larly to the behavior of the forest at Sewanee. 



Red Juniper is the only conifer indigenous to The University Domain. 

 Small seedlings occur occasionally along the mountain roads, but the 

 dense, nearl}' pure stands of Red Juniper are confined to Lower Slope 

 in Hawkins Cove. Here the trees are young, with low-branched 

 crowns. They average 17 inches in diameter, but reach, now and 

 then, a diameter of 2 feet. Red Juniper produces abundant seed, and 

 much of it germinates. The seedlings, which can endure a great deal 

 of shade, thrive under the mother trees. Neither insects nor fungi 

 have attacked the species at Sewanee, but fire sometimes kdls the 

 younger trees. 



Butternut is scattered sparingly by single trees on Northerty Slope 

 where the soil is rich and moist. Its root system is flat and does not 

 require a deep soil. Butternuts at Sewanee form long, clear trunks 

 with compact crowns and have an average diameter of 12 inches. The 

 tree is rather tolerant of shade. It bears fruit plentifully every few 

 years, little of which is left to germinate. Borers infest the wood 

 and bark of some of the trees, and defoliators have hurt the leaves 

 of all. 



Black Walnut, which makes the most valuable timber in the Sewanee 

 forest, has been so heavily cut that few of the trees remain. It requires 

 a rich soil for its development, and confines itself to the ravines on the 

 mountain sides, where the soil is alluvial and contains considerable 

 humus. It has an average diameter of 15 inches, but in some cases 

 exceeds 30 inches. It forms a tall, straight tree with a small crown, 

 and is generally free from limbs for about two-thirds of its length. 



Black Walnut seeds abundantly every three to five } T ears. Some 

 seedlings have started about the old trees, but they are not numerous. 



