# BILMORE FOREST.

## I.

Biltmore Estate lies in the western part of North Carolina, on the right and left banks of the French Broad River, along which it stretches for a distance of six miles. Through the northeast corner runs the Swannanoa River, a smaller stream, just before its junction with the French Broad. The Estate is in latitude 35°33' North, longitude 82°33' West. Its northern end, which is cut by the Richmond & Danville Railroad, lies two miles south of the city of Asheville. Biltmore village, on the left bank of the Swannanoa, where the Spartanburg Railroad joins the Western Carolina division of the Richmond & Danville, is included in the Estate. Biltmore lies on the great continental table-land, the highest east of the Mississippi, which stretches between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghany Mountains. It consists chiefly of broken, hilly land, fairly well watered, alternating with the broad alluvial bottoms of

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the two rivers. The summits of the hills, which reach an average altitude of about 2,300 feet, mark the approximate height of the Asheville base-level, from which, through erosion, the present outline of the surface was derived. The total area is 7,282 acres, or rather more than eleven square miles.

**Biltmore Forest.** A little more than one-half of the whole surface of the estate, or 3,891 acres, is woodland, and constitutes Biltmore Forest. It is composed in greater part of Oaks and other deciduous trees, chiefly in the younger stages of their growth, with Pines scattered among the broad-leaved trees, and here and there pure patches of them in the old fields. In addition to the broken and very irregular character of the Forest, which results from its former sub-division among small farmers, it is interrupted—from the same cause—by frequent clearings, many of which are on the tops and shoulders of the hills, while the river bottoms are almost entirely under cultivation. The changing slopes, the many kinds of trees, and the great variety in its density, size and condition, are marked features of the Forest. It derives an additional interest from the fact that it is the first piece of woodland in the United States to be subjected to a regular system of management, the prime object of which is to pay the owner while improving the forest.

**The Soil.** The rock, from the weathering of which the larger part of the soil at Biltmore has been produced, is a very ancient gneiss with a considerable intermixture of pegmatitic quartz. The softness of the gneiss, which disintegrates easily to a

considerable depth, accounts for the rounded contour of the slopes, while the ridges are marked by the presence of the more resisting quartz. The soil which results from the decomposition of these two rocks is a rather stiff sandy loam, not rich, and, in spite of its depth, not very favorable to the growth of trees. In the river bottoms, where the soil is sedimentary, it is in some places very rich; in others composed almost entirely of quartz sand.

**The Climate.** The meteorological records for Biltmore are available for the present purpose only from January 1, 1891, to December 31, 1892. These observations cover too little time to be of much use as a basis of description for the climate. But records have been kept at Asheville since 1857, and the following summary is founded upon the two series. The climate is an exceptionally temperate one. Great heat and great cold are alike rare, and the daily range of temperature is comparatively small. The moderate rainfall, which amounts annually to about 43 inches, is very evenly distributed throughout the year. During the winter the relative humidity is occasionally high, but this is generally not the case at other seasons. The observations at Biltmore for the two years show a maximum temperature of 99° in July, and a minimum of 6° in December. It should be said that during the last winter a minimum of -9° was reached in January. The greatest daily range in temperature varied between 30.7°, in July, and 41.5°, in March and October. The relative humidity, taken by monthly averages, was least in May (54.91%), and greatest in January (76.01%). The following table gives further details:

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**Their Distribution** been much disturbed by human agency. Not only has the Pine (thanks to its winged seed) taken possession of much cleared land once occupied by the deciduous forest, but the same quality has enabled it to establish its seedlings in great numbers wherever, throughout the forest, the former occupants have been so reduced by the axe, fire, or cattle, as to leave open spaces on the ground. Black Walnut has nearly disappeared as a forest tree, while the Black Locust and Sassafras have greatly increased in consequence of the favorable conditions presented by the numerous old fields.

**The Forest Climate.** Biltmore lies near the centre distribution of the forest flora of eastern North America, and the number of its native trees is consequently very large. From its position it also follows that the climate is suited to the growth of a very large number of trees and shrubs, a fact of much interest in view of the extensive arboretum which has been begun.

**List of the Trees.** The following is a list of the species found growing naturally on the Estate:

<table><tr><td>Magnolia acuminata, L.</td><td>Cucumber Tree.</td><td>Ilex opaca, Ait.</td><td>Holly.</td></tr><tr><td>Liriodendron Tulipifera, L.</td><td>Tulip Tree. Yellow Poplar.</td><td>Æsculus octandra, Marsh.</td><td>Sweet Buckeye.</td></tr><tr><td>Asimina triloba, Dunal.</td><td>Papaw.</td><td>Acer barbatum, Michx.</td><td>Sugar Maple.</td></tr><tr><td>Tilia Americana, L.</td><td>Basswood. Lin.</td><td>Acer barbatum var. nigrum,</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tilia heterophylla, Vent.</td><td>White Basswood. Lin.</td><td>Sarg.</td><td>Black Maple.</td></tr></table>

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Acer saccharinum, L.

Acer rubrum, L.

Acer negundo, L.

Rhus typhina, L.

Rhus Vernix, L.

Robinia Pseudacacia, L.

Gleditsia triacanthos, L.

Prunus Americana, Marsh.

Prunus Pennsylvanica, L. f.

Prunus serotina, Ehrh.

Pyrus coronaria, L.

Crataegus coccinea, L.

Crataegus tomentosa, L.

Crataegus flava, Ait.

Amelanchier Canadensis,
Torr. & Gray.

Hamamelis Virginica, L.

Cornus florida, L.

Nyssa sylvatica, Marsh,

Viburnum prunifolium, L.

Oxydendrum arboreum, DC.

Kalmia latifolia, L.

Rhododendron maximum, L.

Soft Maple.

Red Maple.

Box Elder.

Staghorn Sumach.

Poison Sumach.

Black Locust.

Honey Locust.

Wild Plum.

Wild Red Cherry.

Wild Black Cherry.

Crab Apple.

Scarlet Haw.

Haw.

Summer Haw.

Shad-bush. Service Berry.

Witch-hazel.

Flowering Dogwood.

Black Gum. Pepperidge.

Stag-bush.

Sour-wood.

Laurel. Ivy.

Rhododendron. Great

Laurel

Diospyros Virginiana, L.

Halesia tetraptera, L.

Fraxinus Americana, L.

Chionanthus Virginica, L.

Sassafras, Sassafras Luda.

Ulmus fulva, Michx.

Celtis occidentalis, L.

Morus rubra, L.

Platanus occidentalis, L.

Juglans nigra, L.

Hicoria ovata, Britt.

Hicoria alba, Britt.

Hicoria glabra, Britt.

Hicoria minima, Britt.

Quercus alba, L.

Quercus minor, Sarg.

Quercus Prinus, L.

Quercus rubra, L.

Quercus coccinea, Wang.

Quercus tinctoria, Bartram.

Quercus cuneata, Wang.

Quercus aquatica, Walt.

Quercus imbricaria, Michx.

Castanea pumila, Mill.

Persimmon.

Rattle-box. Silver-bell Tree.

White Ash.

Fringe Tree.

Sassafras.

Red Elm. Slippery Elm.

Hackberry.

Red Mulberry.

Sycamore.

Black Walnut.

Shellbark Hickory.

Big-bud Hickory.

Pig-nut.

Bitter-nut. White Hickory.

White Oak.

Post Oak.

Chestnut Oak.

Red Oak.

Scarlet Oak.

Black Oak.

Spanish Oak.

Water Oak.

Shingle Oak.

Chinquapin.

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Castanea sativa var. Americana, Sarg.

Fagus ferruginea, Ait.

Carpinus Caroliniana, Walt.

Betula nigra, L.

Betula lenta, L.

Alnus serrulata, Willd.

Salix nigra, Marsh.

Populus grandidentata, Michx.

Chestnut.

Beech.

Hornbeam. Iron-wood.

River Birch.

Black Birch.

Black Alder.

Black Willow.

Poplar.

Populus balsamifera, L.

Populus monilifera, Ait.

Juniperus Virginiana, L.

Pinus Strobus, L.

Pinus rigida, Mill.

Pinus Virginiana, Mill.

Pinus pungens, Michx. f.

Pinus echinata, Mill.

Tsuga Canadensis, Carr.

Balsam. Balm of Gilead.

Cottonwood. Carolina

Poplar.

Red Cedar.

White Pine.

Pitch Pine.

Jersey Pine. Scrub Pine.

Table-mountain Pine.

Short-leaf Pine.

Hemlock.

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