BOTANICAL SURVEY— SUGAR GROVE REGION 263 



species already present, and the ensning strnggle between the seedlings, 

 whatever might be its resnlt, would not affect the composition of the 

 association. If the new plants which appear on clearing had to struggle 

 simply against the established association, they might not be able to 

 gain a foothold. But with the very changes which supply different 

 kinds of seeds there comes an unsettlement of the societies already in 

 possession. The floods become much more destructive and uproot large 

 patches of the original vegetation. Tn this way a place is prepared 

 already cleared for the invaders and they are no longer handicapped, 

 but compete at an advantage over the original inhabitants of the soil. 

 This condition is noticeable in the brooks as well as the rivers in an 

 area like the present, where the uplands are cleared down to the fall line 

 and used for agricultural purposes, while the ravines are left in timber. 



THE BOTTOM LAND SWAMP 



Perhaps the clearest indication of the original condition of the 

 Hocking bottom land, except for the very bank of the stream, is (or was, 

 prior to 1912, when it was lumbered) given by a small swamp in the 

 N. E. 14 of section 4, Berne Twp., on the west side of the river. This 

 was originally covered with very large trees, six feet or more in diam- 

 eter, the stumps of which are not yet entirely decayed. The second 

 growth which has replaced this forest seems, fortunately for the purpose 

 in hand, to be a fairly natural association, altho the herbage in all 

 but the wettest parts is so modified hy pasturing that it can give no 

 idea of the original association. 



The larger part of the area may be described as a maple swamp 

 in which Acer rubrum covers the ground in places to the exclusion 

 of all other species, both herbaceous and woody. Beneath the maples 

 the ground is bare and muddy or covered with shallow puddles. In 

 places where the maples are not so tliick, a more varied flora appears, the 

 principal components of ^^•hich are : 



Ahius rugosa Benzoin benzoin 



TJlmus americana Gleditsia tricanfhos 



CepJialanthus occidentalis Salix nir/ra 



Where llie bind is a little di'vcr, iiuinci-ous other trees appear; 

 among these the following are al)uii(huit enough to deserve mention: 



Quercns palnstris Quercus imhricaria 



Malus glaucescens Carpinus caroliniana 



Juglans nigra JiijiJana einerea 



Fraxinus pennsylvanica Fraxinn.i americana 



Quercus bicolor I'mmiK rirrii'iitniti (sn-tAina) 



