264 THE PLANT LIFE OF MARYLAND 



On the slopes of the wooded hills, the forest is largely of the 

 types already seen, but there is an increase in Hemlock, Pitch Pine 

 and White Pine, and along the steep sides of the stream banks, the 

 Rhododendron occurs in greater frequency, displacing to some ex- 

 tent the Laurel which has been present under much the same con- 

 ditions heretofore, and from now on shares the hill sides and ex- 

 posed situations with the larger shrub. 



Sideling Valley. — The creek at the west base of Sideling Hill 

 bears the same name as the hill along which it flows, and forms the 

 boundary between Allegany and Washington counties. The land 

 surface from this point to the limit of the Upper Midland, and the 

 beginning of the Mountain Zone, is much more uneven than that 

 heretofore seen, the units are larger, and the heights reached by 

 the successive hills or ridges is much more than has been the case 

 with the shale ridges of the region between North Mountain and 

 Sideling Hill. There is less of agricultural modification of the 

 original conditions here than in the previous areas, and the forest 

 is evidently more nearly in its original assortment of species on this 

 account. However, even in this area, the land has generally been 

 cut over at least once, and is now receiving the saw and axe upon 

 the second growth timber. Much injury is being done in the for- 

 est, by the careless methods of lumbering, both in the felling of the 

 trees, by destroying and breaking young trees ; and by cutting the 

 trees which should be left for the next crop of timber. 



The commercial trees of the forest, at the present time seem to 

 be anything over six inches diameter, with slight choice of species. 

 All this is greatly modifying the character of the vegetation of the 

 area, but just what the changes are can be learned only by a con- 

 tinued series of observations over a considerable period. 



So far as could be determined, the forest species were much the 

 same as in other places, but there is an increase in the number of 

 such trees as the Cucumber Tree, the Black Jack Oak and the Yel- 

 low Oak (Quercus accuminata). In addition, there were observed 

 the following species: White Oak, Chestnut Oak, Black Oak, Scar- 

 let Oak, White Pine, Scrub Pine and Pitch Pine, Black Maple, 

 Sugar Maple, Eed Maple, Bladder-nut, arrow-woods (Viburnum 

 prunifolium, Viburnum acerifolium), Large-toothed Poplar, and 



