This section is from the book "Trees And Tree-Planting", by James S. Brisbin. Also available from Amazon: Trees and Tree Planting.
This tree is confined to the Atlantic States, it never being found west of the Alleghanies, and occupies, like most of its brethren, sandy, poor soil; it seldom exceeds from thirty-five to forty feet in height, with a diameter of from twelve to eighteen inches. Sometimes it reaches the height of about eighty feet, but this is only when found in swamp-land. The wood of this tree is unusually resinous, knotty, and heavy, three fourths of the wood being sap-wood. The chief use of this tree is for the amount of pitch it yields. It also makes very good fuel, as it burns with a steady, strong flame and gives great heat. I would not recommend it for culture, as there are so many better varieties of pine that far exceed it in value, both as a lumber tree and for fuel. Loudon recommends it as an ornamental tree, but I cannot say that I admire his taste, as it is very knotty and generally has a great many excrescences.
 
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