14 THE ADIRONDACK SPRUCE 
SPRUCE SLOPES 
These are usually steep rocky slopes with meagre 
soil, bearing a forest chiefly of softwoods. In general 
the exposure is to the south. The Spruce is here ot 
excellent quality, tall and clear boled, the largest 
specimens on benches and in hollows, where the soil is 
deeper and the growth of the trees more rapid. The 
danger from windfall on such rocky slopes is very 
great. 
A fair amount ot young growth and seedlings occurs 
on Spruce slopes, and in openings and windfalls the 
reproduction is very fine. Spruce seed finds an excel- 
lent germinating bed on the moss-covered soil. 
Hemlock grows here in considerable quantities, and 
is often grouped at the brow of the ridge. Birchis the 
most abundant of the hardwoods in mixture, and is of 
excellent quality. Beech and Hard Maple are found, 
but less abundantly. There is frequently a small cluster 
of Pines on the brow of southern slopes. 
