Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-02

mouth of Pope's creek. All these roads were
probably in existence by 11"O.
The Rambler, though he believes that
the Potomac-Patuxent watershed
southeast of the District boundary.
and which is still called The Forest"
was the last of the lands of southern
Maryland to be put under cultivation,
knows that the deforestration and TIL
lage of those lands began early in the
history of the United States, for con-
ton which covered much of the terri
tory around Forestville. 1t may be
that Forestville is within the bound
aries of that old tract. That plantation
was called Good Luck
In the year mentioned, and for a con-
siderable time before. Good Luck was
the plantation and the home of Sam
uel Magruder and his wife. who was
these facts on the authority of Caleb
Clarke Magruder, jr., Of Upper Marl-
boro. than whom is no more reliable
authority. Mr.. Magruder. in a paper
on John Magruder of Dunblane.' pub
lished in the 1912 proceedings of the
American Clan Gregor Society. said:
John Magruder. popularity known as John
Magruder OF Dunblane, was the son of Samuel
Magruder and Sarah Beall and grandson of
Alexander Magruder: Maryland immi grant, and
plantation known as Good Luck Calvert
COUNTY, Maryland near the Long Old Fields Of
Georges county, Md.
A friend of the Rambler, F. w. Bes-
ley wrote a few years ago an official
report on the forests and forestry re-
sources of Prince Georges county, and
his report was published by the Mary
land geological survey. Mr. Besley
does not agree with nor confirm the
Rambler's theory that The Forest" of
Maryland made it's last stand in the
region of Forestville on that high land
just east of the District. Mr.. Besley
wrote that in the early history of the
county the forests constituted by far
the larger part of the land area and
that, owing to the demand for tillable
land. the forests We're rapidly reduced.
until practically all of the arabic land
was cleared for the growing of crops
An extract from Mr.. Besley's paper
follows:
Naturally. along the Patu1ent river (where
the tide Of immigration first set inn the great
est 1nroads were made the forested area
until this section. known in the early settle.
ment days as the Forests of Prince georges"
has now the smallest percentage of forest land
OF any part. Of the county. For the last twenty
years there has been little change The land
that was cleared prior to that time is being cul-
tivated. and the chances are that there will be
little change in the woodland for a long
time to come In the western part of the
county the conditions are quite different The
on the whole less adaptable TO the growing Of
Ups iheie arr iarSe areas OF poorly drained
land. also sterile sand and clay soils where
pine and oaks will thrive. Most of this land
was brought under cultivation prior to 1860
Tor the growing of corn and tobacco. Under
these exacting crops. however much of the
soil became exhausted and was allowed to grow
up IN brush As rule. the land that grew
OAKS: poplar and hardwOods was Of better
quality than that on which pine was found and
hence IT was the hardwood land TINT was first
cleared As soon MS any of this land was al
, low to go nnsultivated it was seeded in a
rev years by the light-winged seed from the
neighboring pine trees, and thus added 10 the
increasing pine areas. 1t is estimated that
5000 acres Of old fields have grown up to nine
during the past twelve years.