Evening star., 1916-04-30

and ill-defined. for the one passes over
and into the other, often with insens-
ible topographic gradations. although
the origin of the two districts is quite
distinct.
The term piedmont plateau" is given
to the hill country bordering on the
west of the coastal plain to the base
of the Appalachian range. 1t is a
plateau the rolling surface of which
is of complex origin. traversed by
ridges and cut with valleys that are
sometimes gorges.
Thomas Leonard Watson of the
United States geological survey. writ
ing of the GRANTEES of the Southeast
Atlantic States" says: "Geologically
the region is formed of complex of
highly metamorphosed sedimentary
and igneous rocks of paleozoic and pre-
paleozoic age largely concealed be-
meath a cover of residual material due
to decay"
Arthur Keith of the geological sur
vey once wrote of this region: "A COM
plex of igneous rocks. largely altered.
comprising granite, gneiss, gabbro ana
diorite of archeon age extends south
westward from Maryland and the Dis
trict of Columbia across the Potomac
river into Fairfax county. Va This
amorphism, and much of the original
massive material has been rendered
schistose" In the coastal plain section
the soils are chiefly clays, loans. silt
loans. sand and sandy loans, while In
the piedmont section of Fairfax county
the soils are generally heavy red and
yellow clays, gray sandy loans and In
some localities a ed-brown soil de-
rived from the weathering of the red
triassic shaleS.
This road to Swinks mill is one over
which the Rambler has Travelled sew
eral times. Crossing the Georgetown
Leesburg pike and continuing north, q
trace leads through the woods. when
the Rambler passed the trees were
coming into bud and the earliest flow
ers were in bloom. The rising or the
sap and the unfolding of the leaf buds
are manifestations of the Great Intel
Iigence which make men bow their
heads The sap of trees is the water
which they draw for their nourishment
by means of their wide-branching roots
in the soil, and which by some unfath-
omable plan or mechanism Is distilled
and distributed through every part OF
the tree Scientists find the furnishing
of sap to the smaller plant or single
the more powerful current that per-
vades the tallest trees. They know
that the water which the plants alb
sorb is taken up by many deiicate
hairs which are attached to the roots,
and that it goes through the tree very
much as blood circulates through and
nourishes the human body. Some men
say that sap rises by capillary attrac-
ton and others that it is forced up by
root pressure. But men stand DUMP
before the question as to how num-
Der of plants or trees. whose roots are
in the same soil, automatically select
food which is changed by their special
digestions and assimilations into the
special life protopiasms OF their epe-
cies Out of the same soil come fruits
of different taste and form and flowers
of different color and perfume.
Soon after leaving the pike the val
ley which the run-Scotts run--has
secured takes the form of a gorge.
Here the waters. held back by the
thick high ridge of rock bordering the
river, at length broke through, scat
tering giant boulders as man might
scatter pebbles. In the shadows of this
gorge grow hemlock trees. They are
refreshing to look upon when the eye
has been surfeited with pine and cedar.
Not that they are more beaut1ful than
the faithful pines and the ever-frfend-
ly cedars. but they are different. me
hemlocks that grow here are speci
mems of one Of the American frs and
are sometimes called hemlock spruce.
80
From the west side of the mouth of
SCOTS run a trail leads south and
west up the timbered and rocky hill
side. One can pause during the climb
and enjoy great vistas of the river and
the hills OF to the north and west is
a group of islands. though it is not
always easy to distinguish between the
islands and the mainland. The larg-
est Of these islands is called "Herzog' S
Twenty-Acre Island" the Property OF
Fritz Herzog, and near it is smaller
one called simply Herzogs Island. One
is Turkey Island, one is Perry Island
owned. according to the Rambler's lat
est map by Leslie J. Perry, and one
Offutts Island. is set down as the
property of Sidney l.. Wrightson. The
Rambler believes that Turkey Island
was once called Jackson Island. This
island. which is within the state OF
Maryland, and goodly tract of Vir-