FREDERICK COUNTY. 



Frederick, the second largest County in the State, is the eastern- 

 most of the four counties which form "Western Maryland." It lies 

 in and to the east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, extending from the 

 Pennsylvania line on the north to the Potomac River on the south. 

 The main topographic features are the Blue Ridge, with its higher 

 elevations, South and Catoctin Mountains ; the Monocaey River, which 

 traverses the central part of the County from north to south ; and 

 several important agricultural valleys. The Frederick Valley is close- 

 ly adjacent to the Monocaey River, and east of the Catoctins; the 

 ]Middletown Valley lies between the latter and South Mountain, and 

 in both sections the amount of forest land is relatively small, and agri- 

 culture highly developed. The highest points are in the northwestern 

 part of the County, while the lower elevations are at the extreme 

 south, near the mouth of the Monocaey. 



Several principal types of soil occur in Frederick County. In the 

 western district, which comprises the Catoctin and South Mountain 

 sections, there is a brown, sandy loam, rich in organic matter, and fer- 

 tile, but difficult of cultivation because of its stony character and the 

 steep slopes where it occurs. Nevertheless, a great bulk of the Coun- 

 ty's forest area is found on this type of soil. In the central part, in 

 what is known as the Frederick Valley, are the limestone soils which 

 produce the County's best farm crops. The surface as a whole is 

 rolling, well-watered and, except for the veiy mountainous portions, 

 practically all in cultivation. The soils found in the eastern and 

 southeastern sections of the County consist mostly of sandy loams, the 

 greater part of which also are under cultivation, though not as pro- 

 ductive as those of the central part. 



The Forests. 



The forest map of Frederick County shows that there are two prin- 

 cipal divisions or areas of woodland in this County. In the west there 

 is a considerable stretch of forested land, to a great extent unbroken, 

 which extends from north to south ; Avhile in the east many scattered 

 woodlots, usually of small size, make up the bulk of the wooded area. 

 In the central and south-central parts there is, to a large extent, an 



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