146 THE PLANT LIFE OF MAEVLAXD 



The natural secular changes in the character of the vegetation 

 which are going on today are (1) those taking place on the Upland 

 on account of changes in physical conditions due to erosion, (2) 

 those taking place along the shore-lines and due to the formation or 

 exposure of new plant habitats. In the preceding pages of this 

 Chapter attention has been called to the Midland relationship of the 

 forest found in the Flood Plains of the Eastern Shore and in Chap- 

 ter II. several habitats were pointed out in which Midland species 

 were found, otherwise rare in the Coastal Zone. The changes going 

 on at present in the topography of the Upland of the Eastern Shore 

 are very slight, on account of the small drainage area of the streams 

 and the fact that the surface is already so nearly level. On the 

 Wicomico terrace the Eavine Slopes are being worn back and the 

 Flood Plains are gradually being built up. The conditions at the 

 heads of some of the older Flood Plains would indicate that the 

 Upland type of forest encroaches upon that of the Flood Plains as 

 the latter silt up to a level at which their soil moisture content 

 becomes equal to that of the Upland. Although the forests of the 

 Flood Plains approach more nearly the mesophytic forests of the 

 Piedmont yet they cannot be looked upon as the type which is the 

 climax on the Eastern Shore. The Flood Plain forest is a transient 

 one, representing the transition from Stream Swamp to Upland, and 

 although it may be considered a higher type of forest than that of 

 the Upland from a purely abstract point of view, yet it does not 

 represent the natural balance between the flora of the Eastern Shore 

 and the conditions which are most widespread and are determined 

 by the maturing of the topography, — namely those of the Upland. 

 Into the composition of the Upland forest come both the pines and 

 the deciduous species, — Oaks, Gums and Maple, and all old stands 

 of forest examined, and all evidence from the phenomena of re- 

 forestation would indicate that the climax forest of the Talbot For- 

 mation of the Eastern Shore is one in which the Pines are pre- 

 dominant but invariably accompanied by deciduous species. The 

 Loblolly Pine is not infrequent in Swamps but is most abundant 

 on light sands and on the Elkton Clay. While these soils may 

 seem to be very dissimilar in their relation to the movement of 

 soil water, yet the fineness of the clay causes it to hold to its stores 



