160 THE SOILS OF CALVERT COUNTY 



and clay when the area was submerged and to the partial establishment 

 of natural drainage since they became a part of the land area. They 

 are flat or gently rolling and there is no marked rise in elevation in 

 passing from the meadow land to the Sassafras sandy loam. There is, 

 however, a marked change in soil texture in most cases. 



The foreland meadows generally have a depth of about one foot of 

 gray or drab-colored silty or clayey loam, underlain by three or four 

 feet of drab clay. This is frequently succeeded by gravel and sand 

 extending downward to sea level. The clay, though tough and plastic 

 when wet, will leach out and fall apart if long exposed to the action of 

 the rain and frost. This same soil type, if lying farther above perma- 

 nent water level, would correspond closely in texture and crop values to 

 the Sassafras loam. 



At present these meadow lands are largely covered with growths of 

 sweet gum, water oak, and other water-loving trees. Where cultivated 

 they produce a fair crop of wheat or grass, but are not very well adapted 

 to the culture of fruit, truck, or tobacco. One peach orchard seen on 

 this soil type looked sickly and the fruit was not well colored. 



Artificial underdrainage and a resort to liming would improve this 

 land and help to bring it into a fair state of productiveness. Wheat and 

 grass should be its chief crops. The valley meadows, on the other hand, 

 are only adapted to grazing and the wild grasses now produced are not 

 particularly nourishing. 



The Swamp Land. 



The mouths of nearly all the larger streams in Calvert County are 

 marked by areas of marshy land. This condition is brought about 

 through two chief causes. In the first place sand and clay derived from 

 the upland is being deposited near the mouths of all the streams and 

 the land area is growing slowly. The first step in this growth is the 

 shallowing of water areas through deposition, then vegetation gains a 

 foothold and swamp areas grown up to reeds, calamus, and marsh grasses 

 are formed. But this building up is impeded to a very slight extent 

 through this region by the slow sinking of the land. However, the silt- 



