THE FOREST TREES. 29 
Reproduction in virgin forest is confined entirely to windfall or other 
openings where the breaking of the forest cover admits the direct rays 
of the sun. The requirement of this species for full light is further 
shown by the rapid thinning out of the overtopped trees during all 
stages in the growth of the forest. For the same reason it does not 
form dense woods. 
The Longleaf Pine develops a long tap root and a short, open crown. 
It has the power of clearing its trunk of the lower branches, and pro- 
duces clear timber even when grown in the open. 
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LOBLOLLY PINE. 
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There is much confusion in the names used locally to designate the 
Loblolly Pine. The species is not known by the name Loblolly Pine. 
but is commonly called Black Pine. It is also often called Shortleaf. 
Under these names is included also the Pond Pine, which is rarely dis- 
tinguished as a distinct tree. On the other hand, the best timber trees 
of Loblolly Pine, which occur in and near the swamps, are often called 
Swamp Pine, while the dilapidated growth on land formerly tilled 
generally receives the name of Old-field Pine, or Sap Pine. 
The Loblolly Pine occurred originally in and along the margins of 
swamps in small groups, or scattered by single trees on better-drained 
portions and on hummocks. The indications are that it spread from 
here to the moister Longleaf Pine lands. Its spread was much aided 
by the early clearing for field crops. There are extensive woods of 
second-growth Loblolly Pine on lands which were once tilled, as may 
easily be seen from the old furrows. This encroachment is still going 
on. Germination of the seed is favored by the turning of the soil, 
_ which is also an effective protection against ground fires through the 
turning under of the grass. Thus aided, the Loblolly Pine has seeded 
up fields on Longleaf Pine land which are too dry for the successf u 
later development of the tree. The result is open stands of small, 
_ short-boled, defective trees, full of limbs and knots, which yield low- 
grade logs. Except for this second growth on old fields, Loblolly 
Pine never reseeds dry sands. It reaches its best development where 
moisture is not excessive, but constant and evenly distributed through- 
out the growing season. 
Unlike the Longleaf Pine, the Loblolly produces seeds in abundance 
almost every year. - It begins to bear seed at an early age; cones are 
sometimes seen on trees not more than 1 inch in diameter. The great 
majority of seedlings perish in the ground fires. 
The seedlings withstand a considerable amount of shade. They are 
often abundant on knolls in the swamps, where the dense cover of the 
swamp forest is but slightly broken. The growth is much faster, how- 
ever, where access is given to direct sunlight. 
