40 



FORESTS, FOREST LANDS AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 



spersed with sandy ridges, on which the long-leaf pine, where it 

 has not been replaced by black-jacks, is more abundant than on 

 the loam. There are 30,000,000 feet of this pine standing. East 

 of the center of the county the short-leaf pine appears, and from 

 there westward it is the commonest old-field pine. There is a very 

 large acreage of both second growth short-leaf and loblolly pines 

 in the county and probably 60,000,000 feet of their original growth 

 standing in the eastern section. To the north and west of Raleigh 

 the surface is more broken and the oak growth more abundant, 

 except along the gravelly ridges, where there is short-leaf pine. West 

 of AVake the loblolly pine becomes less frequent. 



EXISTING SUPPI.Y OF TIMBER IN EASTERN NORTH CAROI.INA. 



In conclusion, it can be said that certain kinds of timber, both 

 useful and abundant, are as yet of little commercial importance 

 in most parts of the coastal plain region. Such are water, willow, 

 overcup and chestnut oaks, sweet and black gums, soft maple 

 and sycamore. The supply of some other kinds of timber, such 

 as ash and holly, has been nearly exhausted. 



There are still large quantities of cypress standing in some coun- 

 ties, while in others the supply has been almost exhausted. This 

 tree is of very slow growth and shows little tendency to reproduce 

 itself abundantly, the regrowth after it has been removed gener- 

 ally being sweet and black gums. The soil of cypress swamps is 

 usually one of the best of swamp soils and when dra*ined is very 

 productive; so these swamps are being put under cultivation. Con- 

 siderable areas have already been reclaimed for agricultural pur- 

 poses, and a great deal more is to be thus reclaimed in the near 

 future. It is evident from this that in this State there will never 

 be any general second growth of cypress to take the place of that 

 which is now being removed. 



White cedar, which usually occurs with white bays in small 

 swamps or in clumps in other swamps, flourishes only on a peaty 

 or very sandy soil which is largely mixed with organic matter. 

 These soils are unfit for agricultural purposes and their fertility is 

 easily destroyed by fire during very dry seasons, especially where 



