324 THE PLANT LIFE OF MARYLAND 



or plantation life are reflected in the homes that were built in the 

 regions where the respective customs prevailed. Abundant servant 

 help went with the extensive mansion of the Coastal Zone planta- 

 tion, the kitchen being in a separate building, often duplicated on 

 the opposite side of the mansion by the office of the overseer. The 

 absence of numerous servants is reflected in the more compact houses 

 of the Midland and Mountain Zones, in which regions the kitchen 

 is a part of the house proper and not removed to an adjacent build- 

 ing. 



The slave was a factor in the tobacco section by which it was 

 possible to make the crop. In those sections of the State where the 

 tobacco was of less consequence and which were settled by a different 

 type of farmer, the need of slave labor was not so great and their 

 numbers were much less. 



The present conditions of labor and agriculture vary in somewhat 

 the same manner as during the earlier years. Where the labor is 

 efficient the general tone of farm life is thrifty ; where the labor is 

 lacking in this respect there is often a decrease in the appearance of 

 prosperity. As a very general statement it may be said that very 

 large units are the most difficult to care for economically. The smal- 

 ler holdings can be more fully utilized with a given expenditure of 

 time, labor, and money. 



Influence of Soils. 



The question of the relative fertility or suitability of a given soil 

 for farming purposes does not enter the mind as a question of fun- 

 damental importance, so much as does the thought of convenience 

 to market, or to transportation facilities. If this is the case at 

 present, it was still more so in the earlier days when the competi- 

 tion between the several regions was less keen, and there was less 

 demand upon the soil for its maximum return for labor expended. 

 The subject of soil characters in connection with farm practice is 

 receiving much attention at present, and the careful farmer is be- 

 ginning to choose his new location or select his crops in accordance 

 with the mutual relation the two have been found to bear to one 

 another. This may be illustrated by a single example in Maryland. 



