88 College of Forestry 
Let us review once more the situation that confronted as 
indeed it still confronts vegetation. You recall that as*to 
New York we are dealing with a glaciated terrain. This 
glaciation effect is expressed in areas of bare, polished rock 
on the one hand and basins occupied by lakes on the 
other; in deposits of coarse boulders — particularly glacial 
moraines — in some quarters and in delta sand plains in 
others; in former valleys and streamways blocked by glacial 
filling; in accumulation of glacial till laid down upon hills 
and valleys; in sand beds of weathered rock covering the 
granite base over much of the Adirondacks; in mounds and 
ridges of till—the drumlins, kames, ete.; in well drained 
deposits of fairly constant moisture content, or too well 
drained and therefore periodically deficient in moisture 
(sand, and gravel beds) or in lowlands habitually flooded 
or with the water table at or near the surface. 
Of course factors of weathering, erosion and deposition are 
at work on this terrain tending in the long run to level 
down and even up but, meanwhile, vegetation is at work, 
and we not only can see at present how it works and what 
results it produces but by reviewing the brief period of 
human history we can gain an idea as to how far vegeta- 
tion had gone in its general development over the State 
and the total results accomplished in modifying the char- 
acter of its surface. Thus we recall that New York was 
found to be a great forest region; that a vast blanket of 
humus material had been spread over the land, hilltop as 
well as valley; that upon bare rock, great boulders (See 
Fig. 22) as well as broad rock surfaces, a matrix of organi- 
eally rich soil had been built up so that forest trees grew 
upon it; that kettle holes had been filled with vegetation 
remains — peat — until, rising above water level, a swamp 
forest occupied the place of a former lake or pond; that 
lake basins and blocked streamways have been similarly 
filled so that forest trees now stand upon peat beds thirty 
feet or more in depth. It is asserted * that even the climax 
1 Harshberger, loc. cit., p. 41. 
