314 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NEW JERSEY. 
undulating, but the northern edge sinks down abruptly so that 
when viewed from afar it resembles a range of low hills. This 
is a part of the great North German Plain, which extends from 
the Ural mountains to the coast, consisting mainly of heath and 
moor, planted in places with Scotch-pine. It consists of loam, 
sand, clay, gravel and marl. Here and there are erratic boulders 
which have been deposited, no doubt, by glaciers. Where the 
soil is loamy and marly the beech is abundant. ‘The sand,” 
says Salfeld, “forms scattered hills or great sandy plains from 
which the clay has been washed by the rains.” 
In many places the primeval forest consisted of oak and pine. 
In other regions beds of “‘ortstein,” a sandstone similar to the 
“‘alios” of the Landes, prevents drainage and the growth of trees. 
‘On such places the heather holds full sway. These are natural 
steppes and probably have never been covered with trees. 
In the Lineburger Heath there are many small streams, 
although the region is at times quite dry and parched. The 
water quickly runs away and the region is exposed to the dry- 
ing effects of the winds. “A trip across this heath in winter,” 
says Salfeld, “is dreary enough.” One meets here and there 
natives digging up the sods for litter. This exposes the soil to 
the wind so that it shifts more or less from place to place. Here 
and there are bee-stands which are used only in blossoming time 
when the keeper moves from place to place with his hives in search 
of fresh pastures. Here and there are sheep corrals. ‘The shep- 
herd even in winter may be seen alone with his flock of hardy, 
small black sheep called “snucken.” As with the shepherds of 
the Landes he knits while his sheep crop the scanty herbage. 
These sheep live out of doors in winter, even in the snow, and 
when the lambs come many are killed by the shepherd, because 
one lamb must suck several mothers on account of the scarcity 
of food. 
Here and there are streams with irrigated and fertilized 
meadows. Along their banks are alders and on the ridges of 
sand fringing the meadows are strips of pine to break the force 
of the wind. 
At last we reach a farm. Attached to the straw-thatched 
house is a yard surrounded by a granite wall. Granite seems 
out of place here. The origin of the granite boulders from 
