ORIGINAL AND PRESENT FOREST. 7 
Agriculture began at an early date, and clearing foy the raising of 
field crops has been extensive. But after the war the large rice and 
cotton fields were very generally abandoned, and many plantations 
have since grown up to young forest. 
For many years the pine has been lumbered in a small way; the 
lumbering consisted in culling out the most desirable trees, especially 
the Longleaf Pine. This cutting, resembling what is technically 
known as the selection system, removed only the mature trees. The 
damage to the forest from lumbering alone was comparatively small, 
because there was left a large number of trees which in a short time 
would have grown to merchantable size. (PI. II.) The culled forests, 
however, have been very largely destroyed by the turpentine gatherers 
and by fire. : . 
THE ORIGINAL FOREST. 
The original forest comprised two types, which are still distinctly 
marked, and which are the direct result of differences in soil and 
drainage. These were the forests of the dry sands and the forests of 
the swamps. The latter remain practically intact, but on the sands 
the character of the original forest has to be judged mainly by its 
remnants. The drier situations were formerly covered with a nearly 
pure forest of Longleaf Pine. The transition from Longleaf Pine 
land to swamp is sometimes abrupt; more often, however, there is a 
transition type which occupies the lower and moister pine lands and 
the hummocks within the swamps. Here the original growth included 
Loblolly, Cuban, and Pond pines. The swamp supports a varied 
growth, among which the characteristic trees are Cypress and the 
Gums. 
THE PRESENT FOREST. 
PINE LAND. 
The present forest varies greatly. The swamps still retain their 
original character. But on the pine land, which forms altogether 
about two-thirds of the tract, the character of the growth has under- 
gone a great change. Unbroken forest is the exception. The pine 
forest is largely composed of scattered groups of different ages, varying 
considerably in composition, density, and condition. Nevertheless, on 
cut-over land the tendency is strongly toward the reappearance of the 
same species which formed the old forest. 
In general, the southern part of the tract, although slightly lower 
than the northern part, is better drained, and the pine lands belong to 
the Longleaf Pine type; while in the northern portion Loblolly and 
Cuban Pine greatly exceed Longleaf, both in the original forest and 
in the second growth. The Longleaf Pine type has suffered the 
greatest change, through lumbering, turpentine gathering, and fire. 
