344 FORESTRY IN NEW ENGLAND 



Hanging Hills of Meriden are excellent examples of these trap 

 ridges. In a few places in western Connecticut, especially in 

 the northwestern corner, and also in parts of the Massachusetts 

 section, beds of limestone rock occur. 



Drainage trends southward into Long Island Sound. The 

 Connecticut is the largest river, and cuts directly across the 

 region. This, together with the Housatonic, and its branch 

 the Naugatuck, and the Thames drain the greater part of the 

 region. These streams, where passing through the highlands, 

 have often worn canyon-hke valleys, on the slopes of which the 

 steepest topography is found. On their lower reaches most of 

 the streams are tidal and navigable to the head of the tide- 

 water. Small lakes and ponds, while not so abundant as in the 

 white pine region, are still plentiful. The streams afford many 

 excellent water powers. 



Areas of swamp are common. In the highlands the swamps 

 occur on the plateau rather than in the valley bottoms, while 

 near the coast extensive swamps sometimes occur near the 

 main streams. 



The soils owe their origin to glacial action, which has been 

 present over the whole region. A great variation within short 

 distances is common, ranging from coarse sands to a heavy clay, 

 but the total amount of clay soil is not great. As a general rule 

 the soils are fertile and do not average so sandy as those of the 

 white pine region. They are characterized by the presence of 

 abundant loose rock. This is rarely entirely absent except in 

 the soils of the central lowland of Connecticut. Here are fre- 

 quently found sands, loams, and clays free from stones. 



The amount of loose stone present, the depth of the soil down 

 to the underlying bed rock, and the degree of slope are the 

 chief factors determining whether a soil is agricultural or best 

 suited for forests. About forty per cent of the region must be 

 classed as true forest soil. Approximately this percentage is 

 forested at the present time. The mountains of trap rock, with 

 their shallow soils and steep sloping sides, furnish excellent 

 examples of permanent forest soils. 



