THE SPRUCE REGION 201 



The spruce region in Vermont lies in a long, narrow belt, 

 running north and south through the center of the state, on 

 the Green Mountain range. The extreme northeastern corner 

 of the state is also in the spruce region. The Vermont section 

 must be considered a rough country, although it is not nearly 

 so rugged as the White Mountains. 



In Maine the country is less rugged than in New Hampshire 

 and Vermont. A broad plateau runs northeast from the western 

 side across the Rangeley and Moosehead Lake districts. It 

 gradually slopes eastward toward the Penobscot River basin, 

 while to the north the gentle slope of the St. John River system 

 is reached. In southeastern Maine the plateau runs down to 

 sea level. 



On this plateau, especially in central Maine, occasional 

 mountains rise to relatively high altitudes, such, for example, as 

 Mount Katahdin, elevation 5385 feet. A feature of the Maine 

 section is the large number of lakes and ponds and the abundant 

 waterways, navigable at least for small craft such as canoes. 

 The comparatively level nature of central and eastern Maine, 

 with its intricate network of small streams and ponds, makes an 

 ideal country for transporting timber; while the White Moun- 

 tains offer many obstacles to cheap and easy logging. 



Granites and gneisses form the bedrock of the spruce region; 

 and from them is derived a soil rich in the elements essential to 

 plant Hfe. 



The soils, however, are not generally suitable for agriculture. 

 In earher times glaciers passed over the country, often carrying 

 away the soil and leaving the rock bare. Usually, however, a 

 covering of soil and rock debris, varying in thickness from 

 scarcely an inch to many feet, was deposited. 



So many rocks are found in these glacial deposits that from 

 this cause alone many soils are rendered unfit for farm purposes. 

 When to this is added the fact that many soils are extremely 

 shallow, that many sites have steep slopes, and that large areas 

 of bog and swamp occur, it will be readily understood that but a 

 small proportion of the soils in the region are suitable for farm- 



