﻿Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Commission 
  87 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  higher 
  elevations 
  it 
  generally 
  gives 
  way 
  to 
  spruce 
  with 
  

   hemlock 
  appearing 
  in 
  considerable 
  proportion 
  on 
  northern 
  and 
  

   northeastern 
  exposures. 
  

  

  Balsam 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  flats 
  along 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  swamps 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  mixed 
  with 
  tamarack 
  and 
  black 
  ash. 
  

  

  Pine 
  is 
  confined 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  light 
  sandy 
  soils 
  where 
  it 
  can 
  

   make 
  fast 
  growth 
  and 
  ultimately 
  crowd 
  out 
  the 
  hardwoods. 
  In 
  this 
  

   connection 
  a 
  peculiar 
  fact 
  seems 
  worthy 
  of 
  mention. 
  

  

  Ordinarily 
  the 
  soil 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  hills 
  and 
  ridges 
  is 
  thinner 
  and 
  

   poorer 
  than 
  that 
  on 
  their 
  lower 
  flanks, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  around 
  

   Chestertown 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  common 
  sight 
  to 
  see 
  hill 
  tops 
  covered 
  with 
  

   a 
  splendid 
  growth 
  of 
  hardwoods, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  fringe 
  of 
  pure 
  

   pine 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  slopes. 
  This 
  might 
  be 
  explained 
  in 
  two 
  ways; 
  

   first, 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  accident; 
  that 
  these 
  slopes 
  were 
  originally 
  

   cleared 
  to 
  furnish 
  pasture, 
  etc., 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  owners 
  found 
  the 
  soil 
  

   rather 
  sterile 
  and 
  allowed 
  the 
  land 
  to 
  revert, 
  pine 
  seeded 
  in 
  on 
  

   these 
  old 
  fields; 
  and 
  second, 
  that 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  natural 
  pine 
  soil. 
  It 
  

   can 
  be 
  conceived 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  subsequent 
  to 
  the 
  glacial 
  

   epoch, 
  the 
  waters 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  melting 
  ice 
  deposited 
  a 
  deep 
  

   layer 
  of 
  sand 
  along 
  these 
  slopes, 
  while 
  the 
  tops 
  remained 
  above 
  the 
  

   water 
  and 
  weathered 
  down 
  to 
  a 
  fairly 
  rich 
  loamy 
  soil 
  unmixed 
  with 
  

   sand, 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  suitable 
  for 
  hardwoods. 
  This 
  explanation 
  is 
  

   purely 
  hypothetical, 
  but 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  denied 
  that 
  the 
  soil 
  on 
  the 
  

   tops 
  of 
  these 
  ridges 
  is 
  of 
  far 
  better 
  quality 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  

   slopes. 
  

  

  The 
  poplar 
  and 
  fire 
  types 
  are 
  purely 
  artificial 
  and 
  temporary 
  and 
  

   will 
  be 
  considered 
  under 
  the 
  separate 
  type 
  descriptions. 
  

  

  AREAS 
  AND 
  YIELD 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  beginning, 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  in 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  

   this 
  sort 
  must 
  be 
  quite 
  general, 
  so 
  in 
  the 
  table 
  below 
  both 
  areas 
  

   and 
  yields 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  simply 
  estimates, 
  arrived 
  at 
  after 
  

   five 
  weeks 
  field 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  county 
  during 
  which 
  numerous 
  mill 
  

   men, 
  lumbermen 
  and 
  landowners 
  were 
  consulted. 
  

  

  While 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  notably 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  pine 
  type, 
  considerable 
  

   areas 
  of 
  unmerchantable 
  land 
  are 
  included 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  desig- 
  

  

  