Development of the Vegetation of New York State 153 
Herkimer county as confirmation of this) but certainly in 
situations favoring retention of moisture near the soil sur- 
face, though still with aeration, a mixed forest of pine, red 
spruce, hemlock and of yellow birch, red maple, sugar maple 
and beech, develops on sand beds. Thus, for example, along 
Cranberry Lake inlet a road cut through mixed climax for- 
est of the above composition exposes beds of deep sand. 
The condition of the soil cover as brought about by the for- 
est’s activity is the focal point for our present consideration. 
The qualities of this deserve thorough study. A, typical sec- 
tion taken under forest cover (and in a measure also unde1 
heath shrub cover) shows: 
(a) Undecomposed forest litter varying, of course, with 
the forest stand. 
(b) A layer of greater or less thickness of partially de- 
composed forest litter, duff, approaching the condition of leaf 
mold under hardwoods. 
(c) A layer of leached out, gray sand three to five inches 
thick. 
(d) A thicker zone of black soil, the humus leachings 
caught by the sand underlying the leached-out one of gray 
sand. 
(e) The characteristic slightly orange yellow sands of the 
underlying bed. Figs. 27, 28. 
Whatever may be the chemical nature and food supplying 
power of this modified covering of the sand, there is no 
gain saying that it brings about a radical change in the 
moisture relation and as a consequence we have not a xero- 
phytic but a mesophytie condition which last is correlated 
with climax forest. But it is also certain that a great deal 
of potential energy has been added to the normally rather 
barren sand.* 
Now the sand of the lands denuded of the former white 
pine stand have no such blanket. Of course, a body of organic 
1 Russell, E. J. Soil conditions and Plant growth; 1915, p. 53. 
