DORCHESTER COUNTY. 



Dorchester, the third largest county in the State, lies on the east- 

 ern side of Chesapeake Baj^ between the Nanticoke and Choptank 

 Rivers. The highest elevations in the county are not over 50 feet, 

 with at least a half of the area below 10 feet in elevation, a fact which 

 explains an area of marsh land which is larger than that of any other 

 county in the State. There are few striking features of topography, 

 and the soils of the higher elevations, notably in the northeastern sec- 

 tion, consist principally of the Sassafras loam, one of the best agricul- 

 tural formations on the eastern shore peninsula. 



The marshes of the county are of two kinds, depending upon their 

 elevation, the fresh water marshes, and the salt marshes. The former 

 are mainly in tree growth and constitute a considerable portion of 

 the forested area, while the latter, comprising 21 per cent of the entire 

 land area, are devoid of tree growth or any vegetation except coarse 

 grasses common to this type. The present area in salt marshes is still 

 increasing, and as the salt water extends inland, the adjoining forests 

 are gradually exterminated. In the southern section of the County 

 where a large percentage of the salt marsh occurs, the pine trees on 

 the margins of the swamps often have a sickly yellow foliage, and their 

 rate of growth is extremely slow. A little farther in the swamp will 

 be found the dead stems and stumps of trees that have been overcome 

 by the salt. Loblolly pine is usually the last to succumb to this in- 

 fluence, but in the end is killed with the rest. 



The Forests. 



The forest area of Dorchester County, with the exception of "Wor- 

 cester, is greater than that of any other County on the eastern shore. 

 The forests, which comprise 37 per cent of the county's area, occur, 

 generally in large, continuous areas like those of western Maryland. 

 A mixed growth of hardwood and pine is the predominating type. 

 Though there is a small amount of scrub pine in the northeastern sec- 

 tion of the County, loblolly probably constitutes 95 per cent of the 

 entire stand of pine, while mixtures of pine and hardwood occurring 

 on the lower ground are made up j)rincipally of loblolly, red maple, 

 red gum, black gum, willow and pin oaks. The oaks do not attain 



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