MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 271 



forests in which, according to exposure and altitude, the one or the 

 other predominates; in fewer instances areas occur with mixtures of 

 all five species, together with other kinds which do not form forests. 



The White Oak occurs on all the low hills and on the lower and 

 middle slopes and benches of the high mountains. Originally it also 

 occupied the high valleys now cleared. Its presence usually indi- 

 cates the deeper, richer, and less rocky soils. 



The Chestnut Oak appears commonly on all the upper, rocky, 

 gravelly slopes and summits of the mountains and hills. It grows 

 persistently even on precipitous slopes where the surface consists en- 

 tirely of broken quartzite and sandstone ; but here the trunks are short 

 and gnarled. The larger and better formed trees are found where 

 the rock is broken and carries a thin cover of soil. The White and 

 Chestnut Oak often occur together, but in most cases the one or 

 the other prevails under the peculiar conditions which suit it best. 

 Few and scattering White Oaks are found on the rocky sites chosen 

 by the Chestnut Oak, and vice versa. 



Chestnut is confined chiefly to poor, dry, gravelly, southern, east- 

 ern and western slopes. It is sometimes mingled with Chestnut 

 Oak, but more often constitutes the principal growth over a consid- 

 erable area, giving way in richer moist coves and on benches to 

 White Oak and other hardwoods, and appearing again on the thinner 

 soils. As with Chestnut Oak, the best growth occurs on the middle 

 and lower slopes; that found on and near the summits of the moun- 

 tains is short and of small diameter. 



The Red Oak is a constant associate of the White Oak, Chestnut 

 Oak and Chestnut, but far less abundant than these species. In 

 stands of 60 to 80 trees to the acre the Ked Oak forms only from 

 five to ten per cent. It is a tree singularly well adapted to a variety 

 of soils, often producing well-formed trunks even in the deep crevices 

 of almost bare rock. The largest trees occur in rich coves and sinks 

 where the underlying rock is broken. 



The White Pine occurs almost entirely on northern and eastern 

 slopes, ascending to the summits of the highest mountains (Mt. 

 Savage, Warrior Eidge and Dans Mountain). It is especially con- 



