The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1892-01-08
GheDemarrsf-S
4 nistsken Idea About the Representation
OF the Leng.Leaf Pine.

II has been repeatedly claimed
That the yellow pune will moi re
pr oduce itself, and hence that the
cutting Of the yellow pine forests
uf the South means their gradual
destruction, But a Savannah bus.
mess man, in an interview in the
NeWs Of that city, gives a different
account. In discussing this mat.
ter he sad:
"There are only two things need.
cd" said he, "to secure the repro
duction Of yellow pine-get rid OF
the hogs, the pireywoods roolers,
rs they are called, and keep the
fires out of the forest. These are
the two enemies to The r~eproduc.
ton of the lonc.leai pine. AT
present The forests are filled with
The piney-wOOds rooters, who root
up every young pine to get at its
root and the bulb at its root, whicA
has a sweet jnicv flavor. Tie hog
will no, root up the young short
leaf pine, because the bulb at its
root is bitter and unpalatable
Consequently when the long.leaf
pine is destroyed it is succeeded
by The greatly inferior short.Ieal
pine. This is the sole reason of
what has been regarded as one OF
the inscru,able laws Of nature.
The next worst enemy OF the
long.leaf pine TO The piney. woods
rooler is the fires which the naval.
stores operators and the farmers
put out into the woods every
spring to burn off The underground.
The operators do this TO prevent
fires breaking out in the under.
growth during the dry season
while The dripping is going on and
destroying their crops, and the far.
mers burn off The underground to
allow a fresh growth of grass Tor
the benefit of their cattle. These
fires kill the young shoots that
have escaped The hogs and dwarf
the growing trees. AS in all things
sublunary, The more worthless
sholt.leaf pine wi!hstands 10th
hogs and fires, and covers the land
where it is not wanted. The idea
that the long leaf pine will not re
produce itself is a lmislake. No
tree is better equipped. Every
full. grown tree scatters hundreds
of thousands Of The little mast, the
seed of the pine, TO the winds every
year. | have seen several instan-
Ces of reproduction where circum-
stances were favorable. While in
South Carolina, some time since, !
saw a large field of young pines
growing up, Upon inquiry | found
that it was a stock law country,
and no cattle were allowed to run
at large. The land was not burn
ed off for grass, and a hog was sci.
dom seen there.
The owner said the land had moi
been burned in two or three years
The field was full of young pines
from q few inches in height to sew
eral feet, growing up alongside o
the older pines which had onl,
been partly cut away, In Glad
stone county, Fla, we own seyera
thousand acres of land, which,
few years ago, was covered vii
long-leaf pine. A cyclone total.
destroyed the old growth, Tha
section is so thinly settled thai
there are lew hogs and cattle, an
consequently no Involvement
burn off The underground. Th
land has been allowed to lie IN
molested since the cyclone, an
now it is covered with a splendi
growth of young pines that in
lew years Will be very valuable.
If The stock law is enforced j
the yellow.pine section and tn
hogs and cattle kept out of til
woods and the custom of firing tn
woods in the spring is given up c
forbidden by law, the Thousand
of acres Of yellow pine which al
being laid waste every year by tt
mill men and the t%urpenline ope
ators will reproduce themselve
and a few years from to-day
more valuable than when the vi
gin pines were cu' from them,
the timber will then be in create
demand.
The piney.woods rooter is Il
chief enemy of the long.leaf pin
lie prefers the bulb of The your
--pine.as an especial delicacy, al
never allows one to escape him
his neighborhood. The rooter is
blot on our civilization anyway
said the lumberman. "lle is
long, lean ane hungry comblnali,
of gristle and bone, and resembl
more a rusty saw drawn 10 a poi
at each end and placed upon TO
legs than anything else | know
lie is never worth anything exec
when crossed upon a railway loC
motive, when he Immediately
comes very valuable. The soon
the farmers of South Georgia
away with their present stock
hogs and cattle and replace the
with improved breeds, and cea
their methods OF turning the
loose in the woods to seek a pi
carious existence, the better 1t W
be for the farmers and The count
al large. | am convinced that t
only hope of the yellow pine is
do away with the roolers and
keep the fires out of the woods