198 THE FORESTS OF ST. JIAKY's COUNTY 



the county, serve as ndditioiial fire-lines. Even the little-used wagon- 

 roads are usualh' gullied by erosion and devoid of vegetation. 



On the other hand, the people of the county are notably very cautious 

 in regard to fires, and as there are no very large tracts of forests not 

 immediately under the care of the owner himself, or someoce directly 

 responsible, fires are not left to run on until they cannot be easily put out. 

 The immediate danger to which numerous small dwellings or cabins 

 scattered throughout the forests are subjected likewise tends to make 

 the inhabitants careful regarding forest fires. The prevailing forest 

 types, being of mixed hardwoods, are not especially subject to destructive 

 fires since the forest floor is usually moist and in places even wet. On 

 the higher elevations where the scrub pine predominates, and on the 

 lower level sandy parts, where the loblolly is found, the soil is covered 

 with a thin layer of needles w^hich is not sufficient to feed a destructive 

 fire. 



The danger of fire from locomotives is very small, since there are less 

 than ten miles of steam railway in St. Mary's County. Charcoal burning, 

 which is a fruitful source of fires in neighboring counties, is not carried 

 on here, and as this county is almost surrounded by water the liability 

 of fire entering from adjoining localities is practically eliminated. 



Grazing. — This county is not well adapted to grazing. There is not 

 enough of it carried on to damage forest reproduction. On account of 

 insufficient fodder suppily for winter use, very few cattle are kept by the 

 farmers. Along the streams and wet places the growth consists of 

 shrubs and trees, with very little grass, while on the cleared farming land 

 the soil is so loose and sandy that cattle would soon trample the meadow 

 grass into the sand and ruin the jjasture. 



A greater source of damage to the forests of St. Mary's County is 

 that afforded by herds of swine which feed in the forest. During the fall 

 and early part of the winter, they subsist on mast, but in spring and 

 summer they dig up the forest soil in search of roots. The young 

 growths are killed and the mature trees are seriously injured. Fre- 

 quently, even large trees are killed outright. In their search for the 

 soft inner bark of the oaks, chestnut, and pine, hogs remove the bark of 



