FORESTRY COMMISSION. 23 



watersheds of hill and mountain countries. This broad, flat expanse is 

 dotted with lakes and swamps. All streams rise in wide spreading cedar 

 and tamarack swamps or mossy bogs and lakes, and the long, winding 

 arms of swamps follow the streams, and evei'ywhere separate the irregular 

 bodies of sandy uplands. And while the swamps naturally represent de- 

 pression, the difference in elevation is, after all, very small, rar-ely more 

 than a few feet, so that, commonly, the swamps, in the distance, appear 

 on the level with the observer on the dry upland. 



Speaking of the lands of the reserves more in detail, it is necessary to 

 keep the two districts separate. 



The reserve south of Houghton Lake, district No. 2, is a large flat, with 

 about 20% of swamp, flat or gently rolling uplands, which here and there 

 take on the form of pothole lands, and with a few small, low but rather 

 sleep, sandy hills in the eastern part, along and near the State road, which 

 forms the east line of the reserve. Roughly estimated, it may be said 

 that about 20% is swamp, 50% level, dry upland, and 20% rolling pot- 

 hole lands, of which not over 3% are occupied by the few low hills men- 

 tioned. 



The soil is generally sandy. In the swamps the usual cover of black 

 muck hides the character of the subsoil. On the upland the soil varies 

 from the i)oor, coarse sand of the typical jack pine plains to the sandy 

 loam of the better pine lands. Real loam and clay lands, which through- 

 out this region are sharply distinct by the large growth of mixed hard- 

 woods, are practically wanting. From an agricultural standpoint the 

 soils of the uplands may be classified about as follows : About 5% of the 

 total area fair lands, 10% light, inferior pinery lands, and the rest 65% 

 as light, non-agricultural sands. Of the swamps, some pieces will event- 

 ually prove to be the best land of the district, but require draining and 

 much improvement. 



It should be mentioned here that the better lands are by no means indi- 

 cated by topography, and that, contrary to the common notion of people 

 not familiar with these lands, the low flats are not like the bottoms of 

 valleys of other districts, but are frequently the poorest land, while the 

 elevated low ridges frequently are the best. This is so commonly true 

 that nearly every tract of better land is spoken of as a "hardwood ridge," 

 though frequently there is no sign of a ridge proper. 



THE FOREST COVER. 



Originally, i. e.. before being lumbered, almost all of this land was cov- 

 ered by heavy forest. To judge from the stumps and other remnants of the 

 former forest and the cover now seen on these lands, the following esti- 

 mate seems warranted: Of the total area, about 20% was swamp, with 

 at least 15 of the 20% covered Avith dense forest of the swamp conifers, 

 cedar, tamarack, hardwoods, notably ash, poplar, birch, maple and, along 

 the creeks, more or less of elm. About 40% was heavy pine forest, con- 

 taining both Avhite and Norway pine, practically devoid of merchantable 

 hardwoods, and occupying the low flat areas, particularly the lands skirt- 

 ing the swamps and also some of the elevated lands. About 30% was 

 covered with forests of Norway pine, occasionally mixed with jack pine, 

 while about 10% was of the type known as "jack pine plains," where 

 oi)en stands of jack pine alternated with tracts of bare land. These lands 



