SILVICAL DESCRIPTION OF LOBLOLLY PINE. 33 
SILVICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TREES. 
LOBLOLLY PINE. 
LOCAL DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE. 
Loblolly pine occurs throughout the tract from the wet swamps to 
the dry sandy uplands. It prefers, however, the intermediate flat 
moist lands, edges of swamps, and well-drained bottoms. It occurs 
both in pure stands and in mixture with other species, developing 
well in either case. 
ASSOCIATED SPECIES. 
In the swamps themselves loblolly pine is seldom the dominant spe- 
cies, but is scattered throughout the forest of gums, cypress, oaks, 
maple, and ash. On the low islands in the swamps, along the edges 
of swamps, and on the large areas of moist flat land characteristic of 
the tract loblolly pine occurs practically in pure stands. Such hard- 
woods as red gum, black gum, and stunted oaks, together with cypress 
and occasional pond pines, are generally present in the form of an 
understory, butare not important. As the moisture decreases longleaf 
pine comes into the mixture, and when the soil becomes dry forms the 
main stand with loblolly as a secondary species. 
DEMANDS UPON SOIL AND MOISTURE. 
Loblolly pine is in no way fastidious in its soilrequirements. With 
a good amount of moisture, it holds its place tenaciously on any class 
of soil. When, however, the soil becomes dry, it is easily ousted by 
the longleaf. In the wet swamps, while it sometimes occurs in large 
numbers, it is generally kept back by the black gum and other hard- 
woods. The trees in such places are uniformly large, but probably 
grow more slowly than when on only fairly moistsoils. That moisture 
rather than quality of soil is the requisite for good growth is fre- 
quently illustrated by fringes of loblolly pine about the small pocosons 
in the midst of longleaf land. 
FORM AND DEVELOPMENT. 
The loblolly pine attains good size in all situations. Trees up to 30 
inches in diameter are common, but trees over 40 inches in diameter 
are seldom seen. The largest tree measured was 42 inches in diameter. 
A height of 120 feet is often attained, and trees as high as 140 feet 
were measured. If grown in somewhat crowded stands, it has a long, 
straight, cylindrical bole, clear of limbs for 50 or 60 feet. In youth 
it has a long, broad, conical or ovoid crown, which as age increases 
dies off at the bottom and becomes smaller and more flattened. 
TOLERANCE AND REPRODUCTION, 
For a few years in early life loblolly will endure considerable shade, 
but for the best development full enjoyment of light from the start 
