136 THE SOILS OF CALVERT COUNTY 



As a consequence of this active stream erosion the greater part of 

 the county consists of steep-sided, fiat-topped hills and long, narrow 

 necks of upland country. 



Along the greater part of the Patuxent a narrow, flat-topped fore- 

 land is found between the upland slope and the water. In the vicinity 

 of Solomons Island and St. Leonard Creek this foreland 

 has a breadth of about two miles and its surface lies at an elevation of 

 between 20 and -iO feet above tide. Between St. Leonard Creek and 

 Sheridan Point the foreland is narrower and more sloping, while from 

 Sheridan Point to Deep Landing it is very broad and flat. Above 

 Deep Landing the foreland terrace rises in elevation to a maximum 

 of over 80 feet at Lyons Creek Wharf and it varies greatly in elevation, 

 extent, and in soil types in this northern portion of its extent. 



The streams of any size in Calvert County flow into the Patuxent 

 Eiver with but two exceptions — Parker Creek and Fishing Creek. This 

 fact, considered in connection with the general presence of forelands 

 along the Patuxent and their absence along the Bay, bears testimony 

 to long-continued wave-cutting on the Bay shore, resulting in the de- 

 struction of formerly existing forelands as well as causing large and 

 continued inroads upon the main upland. 



The streams which flow into the Patuxent Eiver constitute the major 

 part of the drainage area of the county. Their head-waters are uni- 

 formly found near the Chesapeake Bay shore line and they flow south or 

 southwest into estuaries of the Patuxent. The valley walls are uniformly 

 steep and poorly adapted to cultivation; while the stream bottoms are 

 usually narrow, flat, and wet, adapted to pasturage more than to any other 

 agricultural use. 



Along the lower courses of the larger streams there are found some 

 notable exceptions to the general rule of steep, sloping, wooded valley 

 walls. Beginning just above where the stream proper empties into its 

 tidewater estuarine portion are low-lying, flat-topped terraces, rising 

 to an elevation of from 40 to 60 feet. If the surface of these terraces 

 or terrace remnants is followed toward the Patuxent Eiver, it will be 

 found to descend to slightly lower elevations and finally in many in- 



