QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY. 



Queen Anne's County lies on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay ; 

 it is south of the Chester River, its principal inland waterway; and 

 borders Delaware on the east. The main topographical features are 

 flat to gently rolling lands which vary in altitude from 10 feet along 

 the tidal rivers to about 100 feet in the east-central part of the county. 

 There is a slight elevation extending through the central part, divid- 

 ing the drainage of the Chester and Tuckahoe Rivers, while the whole 

 surface is broken up by numerous small streams and sluggish creeks. 

 The predominating soil of the higher portion is a rich Sassafras loam, 

 with small areas of sandy soils along the Chester River. Queen 

 Anne's is distinctly an agricultural coTinty, with a considerable 

 amount of forest land which will eventually be utilized for cultivated 

 crops. 



The Forests. 



In this county occurs the southern extension of the pure hardwood 

 forests so characteristic of central Maryland, with the addition of 

 some new species and a considerable difference in their relative repre- 

 sentation. With the exception of Kent Island, upon which the forests 

 are principally Icblolly pine, the softwood areas are small and mostly 

 of the scrub pine type. In all, 26 per cent of the county is in wood- 

 land, generally in small, irregular patches, though in a few cases sev- 

 eral hvmdred acres in extent. 



One of the chief differences of the forests of this county from those 

 farther north is the small percentage of chestnut found, as it here 

 reaches practically its southern limit of distribution on the Eastern 

 Shore peninsula. There are few swampy areas, the only ones of any 

 extent occurring in the northeastern part of the county, where the 

 prevailing swamp hardwoods — red maple, red and black gums, and 

 other species in smaller proportion — are found. The principal timber 

 trees of the county are white, black, Spanish, willow, pin and red 

 oaks, red maple, red gum, black gum, and hickory. As elsewhere, the 

 white, red and black oaks are found on the better-drained soils, and 

 furnish the great bulk of the timber cut in the county; while the 

 other species occur on the poorer soils, and are only taken for timber 

 when more desirable kinds are not available. 



107 



