Forest Development in the Adirondacks Ay 
three feet. This section, however, was not so thoroughly sur- 
veyed, soundings having been made only along the line of the 
railroad and from this southward to the bordering ridge in the 
heavily timbered zone. Two lines of levels were run with the 
transit at right angles to each other across the east section. 
These are indicated on the survey map. (Map 1.) The 
E-profile runs from the-river at Burnt Rock to Town Line 
Pond; the F-profile from the south western end of the marsh 
to its northeast limit at Massawepie outlet very near the lake. 
The elevations are indicated at stations 180 feet apart. It 
will be noted that E-profile shows a difference of elevation 
between the river at Burnt Rock and the edge of the peat 
covered sand plain of about seven feet, the approximate depth 
of the drainage cut shown in Figure 27. It shows also that 
the surface of Town Line Pond is about twelve feet above the 
river level at Burnt Rock. There is an obscure drainage from 
Town Line Pond to the well defined channel of Figure 27, 
whose location is indicated by such marsh species as Carea- 
stricta, Calamagrostis canadensis and alders. F level shows 
a rise from 1,617 feet at the south end to 1,622 feet at sta- 
tion F'40. Peat soundings were made with a Davis peat sam- 
pler at each station along the lines of level. Along the F level 
these indicated a depth of peat of only 3 or 4 inches at station 
F1 but of 8 feet at station F41 in the center of the northerly 
third of the bog. It seems evident, therefore, that the increase 
in elevation northward is due to the peat cover. Thus while 
the sand plain is a uniformly flat, level floor (except for cer- 
tain slight ridges rising above the peat forming level, see 
Figures 1, 22, 23) the peat forming vegetation has built up 
a raised bog upon the northerly half of this section of the plain. 
In general the peat blanket is a typical bed of sphagnum peat 
varying from the fully preserved dead sphagnum under its 
living cover, to the finally disintegrated brown peat of the 
bottom. It varies, however, with the type of vegetation upon 
it as will be shown, being blacker and quite compact under a 
pure sedge cover (Figures 5, 6) where the sedge binds it into 
a firm sod; coarser and with more woody material under the 
