MARYLAND WEATHER SERVICE 273 



The undergrowth is good and includes the forms common to the 

 deep woodland of the Piedmont region, occasional orchids, vernal 

 herbs of the Blood-root, and Hepatica types, mid-season plants like 

 Porteranthus and Rubus and later vegetation like the Blazing-Star 

 and Hawk-weed. The higher slopes and the summits are much 

 dryer, and after fires may become much modified from the forest 

 type of the uninjured areas. The normal areas produce the Rock 

 Oak, Chestnut, Bed Oak, and Scrub Pine, with a border growth of 

 Bear Oak in much abundance, and occasional bushes of Chinquapin. 

 In the depressions in the sandstone small areas of boggy ground are 

 met with, which have a flora of the sandy bog type — Sundew, Peat- 

 moss, and Bog Orchids, etc. The burned areas are covered Avith a 

 scrub growth of the Bear Oak, Laurel, Brake, and Sweet Fern, re- 

 lieved by scattered Scrub Pines, and Sassafras. Sugar Loaf Moun- 

 tain is included here. Scrub Pine is an important element in re- 

 forestations of shale lands. Sideling Hill, Round Top, and Wills 

 Mountain, and to a less degree the top of ISTorth Mountain, form 

 the other sandstone exposures in the shape of ridges. In the latter, 

 however, the exposure is not so extensive as in the others, and has 

 less influence upon the vegetation. The best example of this group 

 is the Wills Mountain ridge, where there is a considerable difference 

 in the fertility of the adjacent soils, and a higher degree of steep 

 exposure of the sandstone stratum. On the broken slopes the forest 

 is not so greatly changed, but on the dry surface of the sandstone 

 layers, there is a considerable increase in the amount of Scrub Pine, 

 and decrease in the more useful timber trees. Chestnut Oak or 

 Rock Oak, and the Black Locust are prominent among the forest 

 cover, and of the vernal plants, Mertensia and Dodocatheon are to 

 be found, with the Biciiculla cvcullaria and Bicuculla eximia in the 

 deeper and more moist soils. The later plants are very largely of 

 Goldenrods in mixed profusion, but mainly of the more common 

 varieties. 



Shale Ridges. — These are found between North Mountain and 

 Wills Mountain forming most of the lower, steep-sided and much 

 gullied ridges. They are usually covered with a somewhat poor 

 type of forest, the soils being too dry, and lacking in humus to 



