VALUABLE NATIVE TIMBER TREES. 53 



Range. — From Staten Island, N. Y., to Florida and Texas, through 



Arkansas to Indian Territory, Kansas, and Missouri, and in Illinois. 

 Its best development is in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. 



IiOngleaf pine (Pinus paluslris Mill.). 



In Texas the longleaf pine area includes about 5,000 square miles 

 east of the Trinity and interior to the coast prairie and the loblolly 

 belt. It prefers the low sand ridges of this region, though much of it 

 occurs on flat, poorly drained soils. In four years during which it 

 was under observation by the writer, it seeded abundantly once, though 

 a fair amount of seed is produced every year. Seedlings and saplings 

 arc generally absent from the forest; they are killed out by lire or 

 excluded by shade from the old trees. Much damage is wrought by 

 fungi, which cause "red heart" and doty wood. Old timber suffers 

 little from tires. 



This is the most valuable of all American pines for heavy construc- 

 tion timbers, and the best of the yellow pines for all kinds of lumber. 

 The annual Texas product exceeds three-quarters of a billion feet. 



Range. — The coast region from southern Virginia to Florida, and 

 thence to eastern Texas. It reaches its best development in south- 

 western Louisiana. 



Red fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia (Lam.) Britton). 



In Texas the Douglas spruce (known also as red fir, Douglas fir, 

 red pine, etc.) occurs only on the higher slopes and in high can} T ons 

 of the Guadalupe Mountains, where it is a large tree, next in preva- 

 lence and size to the yellow pine (bull pine). It grows to be from 30 

 to 50 feet high and from 1 to 2 feet in diameter. 



Range.— From the Rocky Mountain region in the United States 

 northward to central British Columbia, and on the Pacific coast. 



Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum (Linnaeus) Richard). 



The cypress occupies, either as a fringe of timber or in considerable 

 bodies, the swamps and bayous east of the Trinity, especially in the 

 low coast country. Westward, it occurs occasional^ along the banks 

 of streams, reaching far into the canyons of the Edwards Plateau, where 

 specimens attain 6 feet or more in diameter. Onl} r in places difficult 

 of access does the cypress remain uncut. The lumber is much on the 

 market now as shingles and for finishing — especially for doors — as well 

 as for larger construction. The wood is light, soft, close and straight- 

 grained, not strong, compact, easily worked, and very durable in con- 

 tact with the soil; light or dark brown in color, the sapwood nearly 

 white. 



Range.— From southern Delaware southward in the coast region to 

 Florida, and thence westward in the Gulf coast region through Texas 

 to Devils River, and northward through Louisiana, Arkansas, and 



