"Dwell here, live plentifully, and be rich"

"Dwell here, live plentifully, and be rich". Settling. When English investors and colonists first glimpsed Maryland's abundance of natural resources, they hoped for easy profits. Unlike Native Americans who relied on nature for subsistence, Maryland's founders sought opportunities for wealth., The demands for animal furs in Europe initially seemed to promise such an opportunity. However, other colonies had already cornered the market on the most prized northern sources of furs, and there was little profit for newcomers in the fur trade., Tobacco quickly replaced fur as Maryland's dominant source of income, but it took a toll on the land. The great Chesapeake forest canopy, once virtually unbroken except for small Indian fields, gave way to tobacco plantations in which the soil gradually exhausted its own nutrients, requiring constant rotation of the planted fields., During the 18th century, the introduction of plows to plant crops of wheat and other grains caused further stress on the land. Plowing contributed to soil run-off, depositing silt in the region's waterways., [Captions:] , "...the tobacco trade destroyes abundance of timber, both for making of hogsheads and building of tobacco houses, besides clearing of ground yearly for planting." , Hugh James, 1698, Tobacco was grown widely in Maryland for more than 350 years. By the 21st century, responding to concerns about the health of tobacco users, the state government began paying farmers to stop growing it., To avoid clearing entire fields, the colonists adopted the Indian method of girdling trees. A strip of bark was removed from around the tree, preventing the sap from reaching the leaves. The tree lost its leaves and died, permitting sun to reach the ground. Crops were then planted in the hills around the dead trees., Cattle and swine were let loose to forage in the woods, trampling native plants and disrupting hunting patterns., [Aside:] , "...the place abounds not alone with profit, but also with pleasure." , Father Andrew White, 1634, The great forest canopy of the Chesapeake Bay eventually succumbed to agriculture and town settlement. . This historical marker was erected by Historic St. Mary's City. It is in St. Mary's City in St. Mary's County Maryland