or MARYLAND. 29 



perly cultivated yielding good crops of corn, rye and oats, 

 whilst the latter is more congenial to the growth of wheat. 

 The original growth npon the stiif clay bottoms appears to 

 have been the white oak (Quercus alba,) which having been 

 removed is replaced by pines, (Pitnis strobus et variabilis,) 

 with an undergrowth of holly {Ilex opaca,) sweet gum, 

 {Liquidambar styracijiua,) and in some places with a great 

 profusion of the sweet-briar, (Rosa rubiginosa.) Where the 

 original characters of the soil have not been entirely destroyed, 

 the timber consists principally of magnificent oaks, (Q. phel- 

 los, nigra, iinctoria, t5^c.) maple, {Acer rwi/'wrn,) beech, {Fagus 

 ferrugviea,) sweet gum, American poplar, {Liriodendron tuli- 

 pifera,) and dog- wood, {Cornus Florida.) In low swampy 

 situations the alder, {Alnus serrulata,) is associated with the 

 Kalmia, the fringe tree, {Chionanthus Virginica,) the Cepha- 

 la?ithus and the magnolia, {M. glaitca,) which throws a 

 delightful fragrance through the air. On approaching the 

 Pocomoke, the Cypress makes lis appearance, of which there 

 are two species, an evergreen Cupressus thyoides, and one 

 deciduous Cupressus disticha. The river in fact, takes its 

 rise in an extensive swamp, situated partly in Maryland and 

 partly in Delaware, called the Cypress swamp from the pro- 

 fuse growth amidst it of this valuable timber. Its eastern 

 side, which is more swampy, is also covered by a heavy 

 growth of oak and cypress, and when cleared and drained, pre- 

 sents a stiff clay soil, that invariably throws up young shoots 

 of papaw {Porcelia ti'iloba) and persimmon, {Diospyros Virgi- 

 niana). The soil of the Eastern Shore of Maryland has also 

 been found very congenial to the growth of the mulberry, both 

 white and red, {Morus alba et rubra,) the latter being a native 

 of the state; but neither the Sylva nor Flora of this section of 

 country have been fully studied. The latter is said very much 

 to resemble that of South Carolina. 



The resources derived from the waters by the inhabitants of 

 these lower counties are very considerable. They supply them 

 with a largo quantity of oysters, and what are here called 

 man-o-noses, {Mya inerceiiaria,) the former of which are 

 regularly seeded, or planted, or set, as it is variously termed, 

 being brought from other parts of the Chesapeake bay, where 

 they are small and fresh, and thrown into coves at the mouths 



