246 THE PLANT LIFE OF MARYLAND 



teams greatly reduces the washing of the roads. The turf formed 

 is too compact for most plants to penetrate, and the grass thus acts 

 directly as a check upon the abundance of weeds which in many 

 other places make the sides of the roads their habitat. In the 

 marshy places along the streams, there are usually margins of 

 Nepeta cataria, and in less frequent cases Boripa nasturtium is 

 found in the meadow streams. 



In the neighborhood of Boonsboro, near Turners Gap, the forest 

 was found to be composed of the following species, with the first 

 forming much the larger proportion and the last two occurring 

 only near the streams : 



Casta.nea dentata 

 Quercus velutina 

 Quercus alba 

 Juglans cinerea 

 Pinus str obits 

 Liriodendron tulipifera 

 Platanus occidentalis 

 Quercus prinus 

 Quercus rubra 

 Hicoria ovata 

 Fagus americana 

 Pinus virginiana 

 Juglans nigra 

 Nyssa biftora. 



On the slopes of the hills the several species of Crataegus occur 

 with some frequency, chiefly, however, Crataegus crus-galli, Cra- 

 taegus oxyacantha and Crataegus coccinea. They are severely at- 

 tacked by a rust which infests both foliage and fruit and also but 

 less commonly the young shoots, making the trees conspicuous at a 

 considerable distance by the discoloration from the fungus. 



Moist Areas. — The character of the forest is quite uniform from 

 Weverton to Turners Gap, and for some distance to the north of 

 that point ; but near Wolfsville there is an apparent increase in the 

 moisture content of the soil and of the atmosphere also, resulting 



