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Un das symboles suivants apparaitra sur ia darnlAre Image de cheque microfiche, selon ia cas: la symbols — ► signifie "A SUiVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plataa, charts, etc., may be fiimed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included In one expoaura ara filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames aa required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre fiimts A das taux da rMuction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atra reproduit en un seui ciichA, 11 est filmA d partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droits, at de haut an bas, en prenant ia nombra d'imagea nAcessaire. Las diagrammas suivants iiiustrant ia mAthoda. rata > elure. 3 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ICibrarg KINGSTON, ONTARIO y / , y<- -yl i^ ON THE OCCURRENCE \^ OF ARCTIC AND WESTERN PLANTS IN CONTINENTAL ACADIA. By a. P. MATTHEW. (Road boforo tho Natural History Society of Now Brunswick, Kith April, 18(i9.) ^ ON THE OCCUR ItENCE OF ARCTIC AND WESTERN PLANTS IN CONTINENTAL ACADIA. By G. F. Matthew, (lload beforo t\u> Nntnral Hitstoiy Societj' of New Brunswick, 13th April, 1869.) To the botanist as well as to the geoloyist this portion of the North American continent presents an inviting field for research ; and the more so as till within a few years its flora has received but little attention. Although one cannot expect to find new species in a region, a large part of which, when viewed from a geological stand pftint, has but recently emerged from the ocean, and has, therefore, received its flora from countries older and better known ; yet tlio iminy peculiarities which may be observed in the distribution of plants in Acadia, form of themselves a sub- ject in the study of which leisure hours may be profitably spent. To bring soms of these peculiarities into notice by the public, an-l to indicate, though very imperfectly, the causes which have produced then), are the objects of the following remarks. From the correspondence of natural features in Maine and New Brunswick, and from their situation, being alike exposed to the same variations of temperature, we would naturally expect to find no very marked ditferenccs between the floras of the two countries. This, indeed, is in a great measure the case, if we look upon Maine as a whole ; but if we separate from it that portion of the State northward of the mountains which cross its centre, and eastward of the Penobscot River, a palpable difference in the vegetation of the section north and south of this divisional line is apparent. The northern section, including the province of New Brunswick, nmy be designated Continental Acadia. Apparently merging into New England on the south — for there is no conspicuous natural barrier between the two countries— it is, nevertheless, as regards the indigenous plants which grow within its borders, closely allied to the neighboring province of Quebec, although a mountain range intervenes. This portion of Acadia contains lour principal dihtricts, viz. : an upper plain or plateau varying from about 200 -n vO.- to 500 feet above the sea, watered by the Upper St. John and its tributaries, the northern affluents of the Penobscot, and the River Resti^:>uche. A triangular plain expands from a point within a few miles of the Maine boundary to a width of 150 miles or more, where it pusses beneath the waters of the Gulf of St. Law- rence. This Lnwir Flain rarely ris is more than 300 teet above the sea. Between the upper and lower plain lies a broken country . rising into a knot of high hills in Northern New Brunswick. (J^yi^ -^istly, there is a series of parallel ridges in the south, forming a hill-countrY. of less altitude than the last, lying along the north whore of the Bay of Fundy. About two-thirds oi drained by the River St. John, which breaks from the level ol of the upper plain at the '}rand Falls; and, descending through several rapids and quick-waters, reaches tide-level at the western ^ border of the lower plain, whence its course to the sea (di.itant 90 miles) is comparatively sluggish. The rest of the Maritime Provinces of Canada, consisting of Nova Scotia and the twin islands of Prince Edward and Cape BretoUj may be comprised under the term Insular Acadia. Before describing in detail the peculiar groupings of species in this region, it may not be amiss to tuention a few of the agencies which have given rise to the diversified forms of vegetation now existing on the earth ; and then to add some remarks upon their peculiar manifestation in that part of America to which these ob- servations more particularly relate, and to show their influence upon the range of plants within it. Of these agents perhaps the most important is Varlutluii of Ti'mpemttur. It is well known that there are two directions in which this variation occurs, one on going north or south from the Equator, and the other in ascending from the level of the ocean to the tops of mountains. In both of these the temperature becomes lower in proportion to the elevation in the one case, or to the distance from the equatorial circle in the other. This decrease in temperature exerts so great an influence over plants that few species are found to be common to places widely diHering either in latitude or altitude. Soil is another influential agent in the limitation of species and the modification of individuals; some plants being peculiarly adapted to certain kinds of soil, and rarely found growing in any other, while others, although they may exist, present a puny and 6. 'trm m sickly iippcarnncc when fouiu' growing in soils not adiiptcd in tex- ture and composition to their nature. Mohture also is of the utmost importance to the well-being of ail cellular bodies, as well vegetable as animiil ; and is in fact so much a necessity that when deprived of it they cease to live. These three agencies are those which have played the most im- portant part in diversifying the vegetation of the globe ; but two of them, viz.: temperature imd moisture, present themselves under a somewhat peculiar aspect in Acadia. The renovation of the ocean by the interchange of waters throughout its vast expanse, is aftected through the medium of ocean currents, flowing alternately to and from the poles. Such of these " ocean rivers " in the northern hemisphere as flow northward arc continually thrown furthor and further east as they approach the arctic circle, by the retarded rotation of the earth from west to east ; while such as run southward are thrown to the west. Hence, while Europe is bathed in the warm waters of the Gulf stream, running in a long arc northward across the Atlantic, the polar current, having a west n'ly momentum, clings to the Ameri- can coast, and Acadia not only shares the cool climate prevalent along this seaboard, but owing to its semi-insular position, has its temperature still further lowered. This is strikingly evident when the climate of St. John is compared with that of cities in Europe — such as Bordeaux, Turin iind Venice, — under the same parallel of latitude. The principal c mse of this difierence of temperature is the fact that here we have th^north-east a refrigerator in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, traversed as it is by a branch of the polar current, which entering at the S'traits of Belleisle, sweeps around the shores of the Lower Provinces and finds an outlet in the Gut of Canso and further east. We have also a cool vapor bath in the sea fogs, which in summer bathe our south-eastern shores, and whose influence on vegetation will be noticed in the sequel. Thus we see that within the limits of those maritime provinces there are variations of temperature, vtiich mere extent of surface or eleva- tion of land will not account for, but which are mainly dependent on ocean currents and their (ioncomitants. In comparing the relative heat and cold prevalent in various parts of Acadia, and other portions of the British possessions, it has not been thought necessary to notice the; temperature of the colder months of the year, during which nature, in these latitudes, 6 HinlcH into purtiiil inaction, but only or tlioi ^ ^ with a new group of species, which range thence up the St. John *^ ^♦■^v *4^/ River and its tributaries iutu Northern Maine. The influence of #^4** f^l^H natural drainage of soils upon the distribution of species in the ^^ , neighboring Province of Canada, has been observed by Mr. Ma- rr^ ^ coun, of Belleville, in some remarks drawing attention to the occur- H? S'iv^^ 3 if' rence of certain western species on the dry gravel ridges in that neighborhood ; and the presence of continental forms in certain parts of the interior of Acadia, such as the valleys of Kings County, in the southern hills, the dry terraced lands of the St* John River and its tributaries, and the rich calcareous districts in the south-west part of the upper plain, arc but manifestations ^ of the same law of distribution, lands thoroughly drained being in a condition to absorb and retain more heat than those which arc wet. Were it not for the depressed position of a portion of the lower plain, along the base of the southern hills, which is little above sea- level, and the imperfect drainage which results from the flatness of this region, there would be a more decided exhibition of western species in the southern count|ies than we now find. It is to be regretted that so small a part of Continental Acadia has yet received the attention of botanists, and that the material for working out the subject of this paper is so imperfect. It is, therefore, quite possible thit a part of its contents may not be confirmed by more minutt; and extended investigation. The scantiness of the material may be inferred when it is stated that out of the fourteen counties into which the Province of New Brunswick is divided, a det.-iiled examination has been made in parU of four only. The three catalogues upon which these remarks are based, comprise species collected in Kent County, by Rev. James Fowler, and Rev. J. P. Sheraton ; in Central York, by Prof. L. W. Bailey ; and in a part of St. John and Kings, by / ■• See nrticlo on Hora of Cauatlii, by Drummond, Can. Nat., Vol. I, new series, page 405. tlic writor. Ucrcreiici! in iiIho inudc to iiotoH tiiki-n by Prof. Uiiilcy, (luriiiL:: a nipid journey through the northorn hi};hhuidH, and by the llcv. .luiiKis FowKt, wh(!n at DidhouHic, an woll uh to the rqwrt ()t'(il. li. (Joodidc, (tfthe Miiine Scientific Survey. Tn CoMtinontal Acadia, as previously defined, there are four prini'ipal types of vegetation, exclusive of niaritiuic specicB, viz. : I. Arctic and Sub- Arctic, ir. IJorcal. III. Continental. IV. Now Enjfland tyjai. Till' latter includci" all indigenous species which have an cxtcn. sive r;inge in Acadia, especially in its southern parts. I. Airfif (iml Siih'Airtli: (or Afphir and Siih-Alplnv.) — This type, as being the most ancient flora of tlie country, and also being found on the low l.inds at the parallel of 45'' N., halfway between the efjuator and the pole, deserves our first attention. The species so far as known are the following : No. I.— LIST OF ARCTIC AND SlIU-AHCTIC .SPECIES. Southern Lower Northern Spkciks. Hills. Plain. llif^hlands. Alsiric (iru'iilaiulica (Groenlund Sand- wort) ----- \S' ... * 'Kiilms Cliania'UKirus (Clinid-horry) *S' »B' . ■ • • Solidiij-'o virjra-anrcii ((Joldi-ii Rod) ** • • • • . . . ■ Sent'cio pseudo-arnica *.S' .... .... Vacciiiiuni ulipinosuni (Swamp lluckle-berry) - . - - • • . . • • • t i< Calliiiia vulgaris (Ueathcr) .... . • • . .... *Einin'truui nigrum (Crow-ltorry) - *S' *E' .... Carex capillaris . . - . .... *E' .... Asplcnium viride .... 'S' .... .... *Solildcn Rod) - ■ - *S' .... .... ♦Vacc.iiiium Vitis-Idoa (Hill Cran- berry) » "E' .... *Eupiirasia ofliciiialis (Kyebriirht) J'S'_ ^ ••••_. *E' [Species in this list marked S', occur only near the sea-shore on *hc Bay of Fundy and coast of Maine. Those marked E' have been gathered along or near the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.] Of these species Snuvio pneudo-amlca is introduced on the authority of Prof. Asa (rrey, as occurring at Grand Manan, and the Mountain Sandwort (Alsme, or StcUuria, Granlandica,) is added on the same authority, it having been found at the sea level, on the coast of Eastern Maine. The common Scotch 9 llimtlicr, {Cnfhdin vnhjaih,) hns boon found near Ilalifiix, by I'ruf. LiiWHon, and in ninrc abunduni at Capo Bruton und New- foundland. It n accredited to New BrunHwick, by lioudon. I'rof. Bailey noticed tbc Boj; Bilberry (Vavniiliini iiHijtnoHiim.) und the Cow Berry (Vacrlnhiin Vifi'n /iha,) j^rowin^ on Bnld Mountain, the culminating.' point of tiio Northern Hi>j;hlaiids, but douH not seem to have met with any other niprcHentutiveH of this type at the north. We may, perhnpH, except the niountiiiu Cinfiuofoil ( PotniHVn tr!(finfiihi,) gathered on the Tobique River, but which, although commonly considered Sub- Alpine, ha^ such u range in Acadia, an to .show that it may perhaps, with more propriety, bo looked upon as u Boreal form. These, ond the remaining species of the list, not noticed above, find a congenial climate at 8t John. One very obvious cause of tlieir presence here, as already observed, with regard to other species, is the abundance of cool soa fogs in summer time, and consequent low temperature and moist ntmospherc. The more thorouglily Arctic species, such as tlie Cloud Berry (Riihis Chomnces, the highest peaks of North Eastern America. Dr. Dawson gives 4,000 feet above the sea as the upper limit of evergreens. Here firs cease to grow, and the mountain side is covered with small shrubs and herbs. On the Plateau between Mounts Washington and Munroe, at a height of 5,000 feet, the Arctic flora is in full possession, and extends thence to the summit. If we note the range of such of our own Arctic and Sub-Arctic species at, grow there, we find that they come no lower down the mountain side ♦^han to points varying from 4,500 to 3,500 feet above the sea. It is supposed that the principal masses of rain clouds hang at a height of from half a mile to one mile above the earth, in regions near the sea level, encircling the mountain tops with their vapory masses ; and the clouds clustering at such a height around Mount Washington, would wrap those little Alpine plants which grow towards the top of the mauntain, in those thick mists in which they delight. Need we wonder then that such lowly forms should find a congenial home on the cool mist-covered hills of 3:laritime Acadia. By its cool summer temperature, its humid climate, and conse- quently its vegetation, St. John, when compared with these New England mountains, may be looked uf on from a botanical point of view, as standing upon an eminence nearly 4,000 feet high ; for it is at this height, on the White Mountains, that evergreens cease and Alpine plants take their place. Fancying ourselves standing upon this elevation, and looking around us through the medium of Mr. Murdock's observations, and those of Acadian botanists, we see across " the Bay " and beyond the fertile valley of Annapolis, the hills of Nova Scotia, rising ridge upon ridge to a mountain range, equiil in height to our own, and our sister city of Halifax on its crest ; for she has more fog and rain than we have. Around her grow the Scotch heather, the mountain Cinquefoil, and other Alpine forms mentioned in the preceding list.* V i * I infer this fixnii the tabic, (iit loot of opposite page,) prepared by Mr. Murdoek, from his own notes and data, published by the late Colonel Myers, of Halifax. ^->v^ ^*t^/.^/4^ 11 Mr. G. Murdock, in u paper on the Metcorolofgr of St. John, road before this Society in 1863, pointed to tiiis phenomenon as exhibited ; in the vicinity of this city, in the following words : " In the wirid " columns it is observed that the increase and duration of " southerly weather follows very nearly that of the teniiierature. July is the month of mdximum southerly weather, and December " of iiiinifqiiin. From July to December, there is a constant " diminution, and from this latter month to July agivin a steady " increase." Of these southerly winds, the south-'.v&st is by far the most frequent, and, if continuous, sooner or later brings upon the southern coast of Acadia those fogs for which St. John is unfortunately so notorious. That such is the case may be inferred from the following table, compiled by the same accurate and paius-taking observer, showing a >nean of the number of foggy days per mouth for the years 1861-1867 : — ' Table No. 2. May. June. July. Augt. Sept. Avrge. number of foggy days 3.3 4.2 6.2 6.7 3.4 Kainv days .... 10.0 6.8 9.9 7.6 8.1 Mean estimate cloudy days 6.4 6.4 6.3 6.2 5.5 From this table we gather that, during each of the two hottest months of the year, St. John is enveloped for nearly a week in constant fog; and this misty curtain, by its presence, not only excludes tiie direct rays of the sun, but by its coolness lowers perceptibly our summer tempf^rature. During the months of July and August, there is also a large rainfall, and if we add to the rainy and foggy days those which are cloudy, but nineteen days out of the two mid-suuimer months remain during which the sua shines upon us in unclouded splendor. If we give due weight to these sources of humidity and cold, and consider, also, that our position on the sea-side is an additionul cause of a diminished temperature, we need feel no surprise at the sub-arctic summers which prevail at ^^t., John, Oct. Sura. ?.Iean. 2.3 5.7 7.G H.l 6.1 6.3 TABLE No. 3.— Mean of 1864 and 1866. '. .. 1 t May. July. Aug. Sept. 1 ; Oct. Sum T„„„ Mean.J"ne. IIalifa.\ foKgy days St. John, N. B., do. do 12.6 6. 6.5 1.5 4. 4.3 6.5 1.7 3.5 1. 6.7 7.4 5.3 4. Halifax rairv days St. John, N. B., do. do 16. 12.5 11. 7. 12.5 7.5 8.5 6.5 16.5 7.5 15.75 8. 7.8 5.5 12 nor at tlio sub-arctic type of vegetation which flourishes arounj us. It is well known that humidity, in its influence over the distribution of Arctic plants, in a limited degree represents cold. But when a climate is both cool and moist, as ours is, it presents a double attraction to these little northern adventurers. Having seen what a chilling effect these south-west winds, with their accompanying fog and rain, have at the coast, let U3 now follow the same breezes into the interior. As soon as the fogs pass the coast, they are rapidly absorbed by the atmosphere (expanded by warmth radiated from the heated earth), and may be traced in their progress inland, in the long banks of cumuli-clouds which hang over the southern hills; and are finally dissipated entirely in the onward progress of the southerly winds, which now possess nearly the original warmth and most of the moisture that they had when first they began their journey from the Gulf Stream. Now pre-eminently invigo- ratin" iind refreshin<>', these winds course onward toward the shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, stimulating the growth of many species of plants, which cannot abide their chilling influences at the coast. As may be inferred, they bear a very different reputation along the Gulf from that which attaches to them with us. In spring and early summer, they blow down the valleys of the Miramichi, and other streams debouching on that coast, as warm brcoECS, prevalent during the night and morning, giving a great stimulus to vegetation ; but in the evening they are pushed back, or forced upward by a strong, cold wind from the Gulf, but lately relieved from its wide fields of floeice. The latter (N. E. winds) often blow with much violence about 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and such is their chilling influence, that flowers which have been in bloom in Fredericton for a fort- night are (about 1st June) only opening their petals on the Miramichi. There is nearly the same difference between St. John and Fredericton at this period, although the first flowers of spring, such as the Mayflower, Epigcea npats, usually opens with us a little in advance of their time of flowering at the capital. The advent of spring is undoubtedly first felt at St, John, but tlie increase of fog and chilly winds in the month of May checks the gi'owth of plants with us, while the very same winds give an increased impetus to their growth and expansion in the interior, where, at the 1st of June, vegetation, in its summer development, is a fortnight in adrance of the ooast, and subse- quently much more. ■ishcs around nee over the •resents cold. s, it presents s. winds, with let U3 now ily absorbed i from the land, in the thern hills ; ;ress of the lal warmth they bcji;an iitly invigo- toward the growth of ir chilling oar a very itt aches to r down the ng on that 1 morning, ining they ivind from ice. The bout 4 or influence, fbr a fort- Is on the iwoon St. flowers of lly opens g at the •h at St. month of cry same ansion in I summer id Bubse- 13 ™ In table 1 it will be seen that the valley of Cornwallis, in Nova 4*Scotia, has a summer mean of 65 deg. ; and it is probable that a ^'large area in the interior of Continental Acadia will be found to §;have, at that period, a temperature equally high. At Fredericton #*• 90 deg. in the shade" is not rare, and at Woodstock the mercury j/|is said to rise to 100 deg. Fali't. 1^ In default of any meteorological tables shewing the climatic ; changes of the interior of Acadia, I have been somewhat prolix in thus enlarging on the S. W. winds, in order to give some idea of the varying influence which this important agent exercises over the growth of plants. Of soils, Continental Acadia possesses a great variety, which have a proportionate influence with the causes already noted upon the range of plants within its borders. The Highlands, both North and South, being mainly made up 'M of metaniorphic rocks, which are comparatively impervious to water, the dnunage of the soil upon them is thereby much impeded. Hence, it happens that, notwithstanding the hilliness of these districts, there are, especially in the southern hills, numerous peat-bogs, interspersed with bare rocky tracts known as " barrens." These barrens extend for many miles along the coast of the Bay of Fundy, where granite and hard metaniorphic rocks prevail, and where the natural drainage is imperfect, and the soil scanty and unproductive. The drier portions are covered with a profusion of ericaceous shrubs, &c., such as blue-berries (Vacciniuvi Fctinsijlvaniciiiii) , Labrador Tea (Ledum lati/oUuin^, Leather Leaf (^Cassandra calijadnta), Sheep Laurel (^Kidmia (I ng list i folia), lihodum Canadensis, &c. In the swamps, and on mossy slopes, knee-deep with sphagnum, grow the Sweet Gale (Mi/i'iai Gale), Marsh Rosemary (^Andromeda poli/olia), Cran- berries ( Vacciaiitm oxi/coc%us), &c. The larger depressions are occupied by peat bogs, or lakes and ponds, with which such tracts are often studded. There is a striking resemblance in the aspect of these barrens, dotted as they are with numerous little sheets of water, and interspersed with belts and clumps of ever- . green trees, to the open tracts in Newfoundland, so graphically (described in your late Vice-President's paper on that island, and to the Laurentian region of Canada. The arable lands along this coast are chiefly clay flats, usually covered with terraced beds of sand. The soil on the ridges ia mostly gravelly, and here the forest growth is of Black and Yellow 14 Birch (Betnla lenta et excds(i). Beech, Maple, and other forest trees of the interior arc seldom or never seen. Beneath the shade of the evergreen growth on the clay flats we find the Tway blade (^Llstem Gordo ta), the Mitrcwort (^Mitella Nnda), the llattlesnake plantain (Gomhjera repens), the Dwarf orchis {P/itt(infhera obtumta), the one-flowered Pyrnla (Moncses aiiijiura), und other shade-loving plants. We have seen that the prevalence of a moist climate and im- pervious soil, coupled with a low temperature, give rise to thick evergreen forests, peat-bogs and swamps saturated with moisture ; and while producing, even during clear weather, great radiation of heat and moisture, these causes have contributed to encourage the growth of such northern plants as those above mentioned on the maritime slopes of our southern hills. On the declension of this hill-country toward the plains of the interior, however, another set of agencies comes into play. It has been already intimated that the summer skies of the central districts are clearer than those of the coast, and the precipitation of moisture less profuse. In the valleys, among the more . northerly ranges of the southern hills, much of the soil is loamy, and naturally well drained, as well as fertile. These rich loams are co-extensive with the lower coal formation in New Bruns- wick. They 'border the Lower Plain throughout, fill the valleys of the Kennebackasis and Petticodiac Rivers, form islands on it along its N. W. side, and re-appear in the valley of the Tobique among the northern hills. The fertility of other loams, such as those of the internal lands on the St. John River, and the upland tracts around Houlton and Woodstock on the Upper Plain, is evidenced by the growth of such species of plants as the Dwarf Ginseng or '^..vjund Nut (^Arulia tri/olia), Closed Gentian {Gen- tuini Andrewsii), Showy Orchis (^Orchis ^'pectahilis), Bass Wood [Tih'a Americana), Desmodimn Canadimae, the two Osmorrhizas, . __. Wild Ginger (^Asarum CawK^nse), and Butternut {,Tuglans "ut'^CWyhj "tf^ r-increa,) yC ^€t-^A' *J Cl^^*f I"""^*ii'it6ly north of us,^ut, as regards its flora, about 1,000 ' r f / f feet below, is the elevated plain of the Kennebackasis Bay, beyond which we may look down another 1000 feet, into the sunny valleys of Kings (.Jounty. Over the Nerepis hills the groat plain which occupies the central part of Acadia is visible, and far beyond it the plateau of Northern Acadia stretches away to its junction with the Notre Dame mountains; while to the Sc pel sill siiij ' mil 15 South-West our imaginary mountain top connects, by scattered I peaks rising through the fogs of the Buy of Fuiiily, with a similar elevation in eastern Maine, whence it declines, and finally sinks beneath the waters of the Atlantic. Jj^^ A Boreal or High Northern type of vegetation may be seen mingling with these Arctic forms, but also extending over many parts of Acadia, where they have not been found. Of this character are the following : — No. 2.— LIST OF BOREAL SPECIES. Spkciks. Anemone parviflora — uuiltitida Stollaria uligincsa (Swamp Chick- weed Parnassia palnstris Astragalus alpinus (Phaca astra- galina)' . Robbinsii !▼ Oxytropis campestris Hedysarum boreale Goum macrophyiliim (htiial) Potontella tridentata (Mountain cinquefoil) Ribes rubrum (Red Currants .... • • • Sedum KUodiola (Stone crop) Saxifraga Aizoon ( Saxifrage) ^ardosmiapalmata(8weetCcltsfoot) Artemisia borealis (Wormwood) — Aster graminifolius Tanacetum Uuroncnso (Huronian Tansey) Vaoi'inium Canader.so Costilleia septentrionalis Primula i'arinosa Utriculariii minor (Bladderwort) — hhinnnthus Crista-galli (Vellow Ri-.ttle) Haleniadeflexa (Spurred Gentian). CoUomia linoari^< Echinospermum Lappula Shophei'dia Canadentnoprasum Totieldia glutiuusa (False Ashpo- de;^ Junous tiliformis (Thread Rush) — Stygius Scirpus sylvaticus Eriophorum russoolum Carex lenticularis — tloxilis rostrata -^— canoscens. var. vitilis a /V "t^R tSd^ < North-easter Coast of America. Valley of St. Lawrence II 1^ 'wl ^T\ t^-o> s . •SB F 1 Northern Highland! S hi 1 * . • w» 1 N* * * " 1 ... • •• E* ... ... * S'* • • * w* ... ... * "* * « « ■ ■* w* ... N» N» N» N* « S'* ... ... • • « w* • N» ... • * ... E'* * ... « • • * ... ... .•• • * « E'* • ... • • • N* ... • « * ... ... E* ... » • W» ... • * * E* ... ... • « • • E» ... N» * • • S'* E» • * * * * ♦ N» » • * ttt E* N* ... * S'* ... « • * • « • • E* ... • *t « « • E* « » • * E» « * » E» S* • • * • « « « * W* • •< • • * » « s» « * « * * E* E* N« ... « • E* ... ... • E* • « « « R» 1 ... •«. • « • E* ■ • « * E* ... « • * • K» ... ... ••• * • !• S'* ... ^^e«r/i^#t.> 16 LUt of Boreal Speciet — Continued. Spkoies, Vill'ii. cuppidata •_ l''«stucii oviniii var. duriuscula (Jinna arundinacea, var. pundula- >•■ Avoiia striata Klynius mollis Woodsiii hyparborea H. Br (Woodsia Ilvensis, var. alpina Watt) ARpidiuin fragi-ans rolyRnla paucillora Artemisia Canadensis Niibalus raoomosus Lobelia Kalmii Platanthera rotundifolia Triticinn cuniituui Peliwa gracilis 2 J S g S ^ V ^«u Z ua ^ o ^SgT|»^ac;<>t^&ap4: r. ©to gW CQ hi « I i>3 E« W« E» a. N» N* N.B.— The last sovon species of this list have a range intermediate between this type and the succeeding one. [Species marked S' have southern hills. Those in, the St. John River, nea' remainder have been jjathi S' and N' on the nd at the seaside only in the column marked W., occur on centre of New Brunswick. The 3ar and on the Gulf Shore. c'6lumn, designate respectively the southern and northern parts of the Upper Plain, including the Aroostocik ai^iLSt. _John districts of Goodale. Species marked E' in the WMTOColunm grow in that part of tha southern hills bordering the Bay of Chaleur.] Mr. G. L. Goodale has the merit of first calling attention to the occurrence of this type of vegetation in Acadia. He says : — (2nd Report, p. 125.) " The country lying along the St. John, " from Boundary Branch to Grand Falls, is marked by the very " frequent occurrence of certain North- Western plants. And " the district comprised by the curved northern limit of Maine. " and a line drawn from Grand Falls to a point between Baker " Lake and Boundary Branch, will be found to be nearly the " range of these plants in our State. This district is so entirely " distinct botanically from any other portion of Maine, that its " limits can be said with confidence to be clearly defined. The " following list of plants may be considered as comprisinf^ the " most characteristic species of the St. Johns district : — " Anemone parviflora. " Astragalus alpinus. 17 tyft/ ^^ ~E^" 1% p^ ■Cxi (1 5.S !zJM U ... N* ... ..! " Astragalus sp. ign. " Oxytropis " « " Artemisia borcalis. " — Canadensis. " Tanacetum Huronense. «' Vilfa Cuspidata." He also instances Astragalus liohhlnsii, Iledysarum borealc, Nabahis racemosus, Primula Mlstassinlca, Solidago Virmmrea var. Alpina, and Tujicldla glutinosa^ as plants of the same district. *' The whole region through which these plants are distributed is covered by a thick growth of coniferous trees." So little is known of the flora of the northern counties of New Brunswick, with the single exception of Kent, that we know of the occurrence of but u limited number of these species on the streams flowing to the Gulf, but nevertheless feel satisfied that the majority of them will yet be gathered there. The late Dr. Robb met with Auemoae Multifida on the Kestigouche, and Lhepherdia Canadensis at Grand Falls, on the St. John River. The last named species has also been gathered near Dalhousie. I>ii. Fowler has collected in the Gulf Counties Vaccinlum Cana- dense and Nardosmla pahnata (common), the rare Juncus Sti/gius, Garex lenticularis, Cinna ai'uudinacea var. pendida, Triticuin caniuum, and Elymus Mollis, Prof. Bailey observed 5i*U^lll^ '"^"^flllftpr'^'tf during his descent of the Nepissiquit. Some of those, as well as the remaining species of the list (except about half a dozen species still known only on the Upper St. John,) have been gathered in the southern highlands. Near the outlet of the St. John River is a sheet of water, known as the Kenncbackasis Bay, which is as deep as Behrings Straits, and deeper than those which divide France from England. Here the y tchtsman may sail for 20 miles without starting sheet, and tlv; lover of the picturesque will see oo¥o>al //yUtA^l-CtyC^ cliffs and bold hills 400 — 600 feet high rising from the water's edge. Here also he will find the presence of man indicated by sawmills, factories, shipyards, broad cultivated fields, and scattered villages, whither the citizens of St. John resort in summer, not to avoid the heat, but to escape the fog. In this basin the spring floods of the St. John River, unable to fitid free egress to the ocean, are pent up until the middle of June, exerting their chilling influence on the surrounding air. is Even in midsummer, should a bather more venturesome than his fellows swim out of the shallow coves which line the shore, he will soon find his limbs stiffened by the refrigerating power of these profound v«atcrf . As there are here the conditions favorable to the growth of northern forms of vegetation, it will not excite surprise that the boreal type of Northern Acadia should re-appear around this Bay. Its shores have as yet received only an occasional summer glance from the botanist, and therefore the discovery of many more northern forms will probably reward the search of a diligent explorer. Among the species thus far recognized I may instance a stone-crop or live-for-ever (Sedum Rhodiola), a Saxifrage (^Saxifi'aga Aizoon), and the fern Wbodsia hi/perhorea R. Br., which Mr. D. A. P. Watt regards as a northern variety of Woodsia Ihcnsis,^ as common on the perpendicular cliffs near Rothsay. The first-named species was gathered many years ago on Cape Blomiden, N.S,, by Dr. Robb, and, strange to say, has recently been found on the cliffs of Delaware River, Pennsylvania. On the rocky ledges and gravelly beaches around Kcnnebackasis Bay flourish the American primroses (^Primxda farinosajaaAJiimmiia j[/-^i;g^^j^j^yjj,ggi^,^h^ppt Hftmod in §rBnt j^hwAww^t**^ ^^ Wild Chive (^Alliun Schcenoprasum), a small Aster gramini/olius, and Hooker's Nahalus racemosus. The Northern Green Orchis (Hahenaria Hyperhorea) is also sparingly met with. But the most conspicuous plant is the Northern Scrub Pine (Pinus Bankslana), which here attains gigantic dimensions, one in- dividual noticed rising to the height of more than 45 feet, with a girth of 6^ feet. This tree, in its elm-like habit of growth, is in striking contrast with all the other evergreens around. At the end of May the numerous pyramidal erect spikes of flowers give it the aspect of a chandelier studded with yellow wax-lights. In Acadia it has an extensive range, for it is not only abundant throughout the Gulf districts, whence it spreads over to Grand Lake and the Petticodiac River, but Goodale also met with it in Northern Maine, where, however, it is scarce. Around the shores on the upper part of Kennebeckasis Bay, where the waters are shallow, species of a more southern type grow, such as the Nodding Wake Robin {^Trillium cernuum), the ■.V"' ■i * Woodsia Ilvensis var. Alpina, Watt. 10 le than his shore, he power of growth of le that the round tliis al summer of many f a diligent ly instance Saxifrage ea R. Br., )f Woodsla r Rothsay. 0 on Cape IS recently rania. On ckasis Bay the Wild mini/oKus, een Orchis But the ne (Pimis IS, one in- } feet, with growth, is ound. At of flowers wax-lights. f abundant • to Grand > with it in kasis Bay, them type cernuum), the Yellow Violet {Viohi pubescens,) and the two Anemones (A. nemorom and A. Pennsi/lvanicn.) The shrubby cinquefoil (^Pohntilhi fruticoHii) also is very abundant. There are two other positions in which the species of this type are found in Southern New Brunswick. One, beneath the cool shade of evergreen trees which cover the abrupt hills between this Bay and the sea coast. On the mossy slopes under those trees the sweet Coltsfoot (^Niardosmla palmata) opens its flowers in early spring; and the Round-leaved Orchis (^Hahniaria rotun- difolkt) may be found in bloom at a later period. K; ' n's Lobelia (ly. Kalmii) and the spurred gentian (^Ilalcula dejlexa) intermingled with other Sub-Arctic forms, abound in the open pastures. Other species, such as the swamp chickweed (^Stdlarta uUgiiiosa), for which, like Sedum RhnUoln, a station in Pennsyl- vania is known; the large-leaved Gcum ((?. maaophyllum), and the willow-leaved dock, (Rumex salicl/oUm) have been found at the sea-side, on the borders of salt marshes, near St. John. Looking at the known range of this type throughout Acadia, XA may fairly suppose that the whole of its northern continentiil portion will be characterized by the presence of the foregoing and other boreal forms ; and that these may also be looked for around the whole southern haight of the Guff of St. Lawrence. In Insular Acadia it probably^wwSfW i%ce Edward's Island, mantles over the hills of northern Nova Scotia, and in Cape Breton blends with the Sub- Arctic flora of the Atlantic coast. In tho interior of Continental Acadia there is a large area verspread by a group of plants of a more southern type than those we have been considering. Wcfct of the AUeghanies they range as far south as New York, Ohio, and the south-west part of the Province of Ontario. Many of them, however, cross the Appalachian range, and are found more or less abundantly in West New England. The valley of the Connecticut River generally limits their range eastward. This is essentially the type which G. L. Goodale looks upon as characteristic of the Aroostook country. He says: — " This second region, which we can distinguish as the 'Aroos- " took district,' is characterized by the occurrence of a different " flora. Instead of conifers, we find a prevalence of hard- *' wood trees. Maples, Beeches, Oaks and Amentaceae form the " forests. Under such trees we see flourishing Dicentras, 20 ** Claytonias, Adlumia, Aralia Quinque/oUa, Solidago odora; " on the ehores of tho rivors and their tributaries Lobelia " Kalmii, Anemone Penmyhmnim, and two species of Vitis, " Vitis lahrmca and V. cordifoUuy In tho following list of We'tern or Continental species will be found some of those above mentioned ; but the lange of others is such as to exclude them from tliis eastern fragment of a florn, which finds its home west of the Green Mountains of New England :— Sio. 3.— LIST OF CONTINENTAL SPECIES. Valleys Spkciks. j ppor lain. Lower Plain. ?ularia rubra var. niariim Lathyrus uiaritimus Li^Uiiitieum Scoticuui Astor Radula Holidago senipervirens Plantagu maritiuia Statico Limoiiium var. Carolinianum Olaux maritima Mortonsia maritima , Atriplcx hantata Salicurnia horbacea umcronata Obiono areiiaria Chonopodina maritiuia Silsola Kali Polygonum avicuiaro var. littornlo. Myrica cerifora Triglochin Palustro maritininm Ruppia maritima JuucuH bulbosus Balticus ■' Greenii Eleocharis pygmcba. Scirpus maritinma. . Carex uiaritimus.... I*/ salina Calamagrostis arenaria. • . . Spartina juncea |w atricta var. glabra. » Glycerin, nuivitinia Hordeum jubatnm Asplenium marinum* Oh3 * » * * « # « * # # * # * » » « * « # = '5' OS B « * » « « « * * « * # * * * * This species is accredited to New Brunswick in HookoFs Flor. Bor. Am. I- 22 RitnininihiH Ci/mhnlan'a, ai above ntiitod, has boon ^ntborud iit Frodoricton. But I &111 not awaro of tho cxiHtonoo of iiny otlicrn of tho list inland, uxcopt tho Hub-niaritinio A»ter limhila and Atripfi'X hoHtota. In conoludinj^ this division of tho subjoot, it may bo addod, that our ]>ro8cut knowledge of Aoadian botany would load us to Hupposc tliat tho Contiuentid typn, besides oooupyinj^ tho southern half of tho Platoau of Ootitiaoatal Aoadia.also spreads throughout the valley of the St. John, and its tributaries, to tho heart of tho Southern Hills, and reappears in the valley of tho S. W. Miramichl. That the Borml type lios around it to the north- east, and to the south-oast, as far as the outlet of the St. John River. Hero it minylcs with tho few sub-Arctic species which still hold their ground ulon^ this coast, and in liko manner flourishes in company with these same species, on the low points of land jutting into tho Gulf of St. Lawrence. The sub-Arctie species form, as it wore, a fringe to the general vegetation of the country skirting the shores of tho Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay of Fundy. The occurrenoo of an Alpine group in the northern highlands seems as yet scarcely osiablished, since, on tho highest of those hills, Prof. Bailey met with but ono species which could bo referred to this type, viz., Vaccinium uUginosum. The New England lype is widely spread throughout Acadia, but appears to bo more especially prevalent in tho south-western counties Several species, such as tho Blue-bell (Campanula rotiindi/olia), and Hemlock (Aides Canadensis), are reported by Mr. Fowler as scarce or wanting on the " North Shore ;'' and the Cedar (Thnja Occidcntalis) appears to bo a rare tree in Nova Scotia, and even entirely wanting in most parts of that Province. Special Causes which havb Operated upon the Distribution of Plants in Acadia. Beside two agents, Winds and Migratoiy Birds, which have had a world-wide influence in spreading vegetation from one region to another, there is a third which, from the important part it has played in modifying the flora of Acadia, deserves special attention. This is the floating ioo, and drift-wood of the Polar Current, and of the St. John River. 28 feathered iifc F iiiiy othorH K'ulida und f bo addod, [ Icud U8 to ho southern throughout heart of tho tho S. W. ) the north- 10 St. John )ecic8 which liko man nor e low points 0 sub-Arctic ation of tho unoo and the roup in tho id, since, on one spccios ullginosum. out Acudia, )Uth-we8tern Cimpanula ire reported ihoro;" and rare tree in u-ts of that 'ON THE which have from one important ia, deserves rood of the To Ibrm any ooiicoption of tho vegetation which covered Acadia in early times, wn mnnt fall buck upon tho researches of Guolou'y. As rei^ards its modern botanical aspect, tho history of Acadia bcj^ins with tho Chimipluin epoch. The clay bods of this period, which cover wide ureas in Southern New Brunswick, have yielded no (iotormiuablo roniains of plants, except soa-wcods, which appear to bcihlng chiefly to the Rhodosperms and Chljrosporms, and are of couiuiDn ooourrenoo in oonnoetion with tine clays near tho coast. Thus we are left to infer tho character of the vegetation from the climatic conditions indicated by tho presence of Arctic and sub-Arntio animals in tho Acadian soas at tho Champlain epoch, and to tho known flora of this period in Canada. At Green's Creek, on the Ottawa River, tho deposits of this age contain concretions which have gathered around organic remains, sucli as sea-shdls. fishes and bones of the seal. Many of them alsc contain the remains of land-plants. Dr. Dawson, to whom tliose relics were submitted for examination, detected the following species of plants : the Norway Cinquefoil (^FotentiUd Nbfvrgiai), the Mountain Cinquefoil (7-*. ti'iileatata), the lialm of Gilead (^Populus balmmlfem), the Boar Berry (^Arrtoxtaphi/loH Uvii ursi), the White Clover ( 7V//«A"«m repciis), the Round-Leaved Sundew (Drostrd rofumli/olia), and two kinds of Pondweed (Fotumogrfoii nutans), and (P. pcrfotintum.) Such a group of plants would Und a congenial home in that part of Acadia now occupied by tho sub-Alpine type of vegetation. Indeed, with the exception of the Bear Berry, they are all known denizens o^ that part of Acadia laved by the Arctic current. It may be perceived, then, that to reproduce the climatic conditions of the Champlain epoch, it is only necessary to submergo the St. Lawrence valley, and the plains east of tho Appalachian range, and admit the Arctic current to sweep freely over these submerged lauds. That such was the state of the southern half of Continental Acadia during a great part of the age in question there can be no do'jbt, the Southern Hills alone standing above the icy current, which swept by on either side. With such physical couditiojis universally prevalent in this region, the Arctic and sub- Arctic must have been tho predominant type of vegetation. As the plains began to emerge during the succeeding Terrace Period, which was one of upheaval, no doubt many Boreal forms were added to those already present in the country. 2t These additions were largely influenced by the constant play of the Arctic current upon our shores. It acted as a circuni- polar distributor of species, and to it the wide range of many Arctic and Boreal plants is evidently due. Entering the Polar Sea between Norway and Spitzbcrgen, it sweeps round the ice- bound shores of the Old World by Russia and Siberia. An insignificant branch escapes into the Pacific by Bchring's Straits, but the main body of the current continues its course through the Georgian Archipelago, and passes into the Atlantic again between Greenland and Labrador. The retarded rotation of the earth throws this current, whea entering t'^e Polar Sea, upon the coast of the Old World; the accelerated rotation felt by the same moving mass of water on its southward course causes it to cling to the shores of America from Labrador to Florida, and envelope the eastern part of the British Possessions, which are fully exposed to its chilling influence. The principal body of the current passes southward around Newfoundland, but a branch goes westward between this island and Labrador, through the Straits of Belleisle, and courses around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as has been already stated. It is the transporting power of this current as a whole, and of this branch, in particular, which has more directly influenced the vegetation of our country. Three of the largest rivers in the Old World, and an equal number of those in the New, help to freshen the waters of this great oceanic stream. The Spring floods of the great Siberian water-courses sweep down into it vast quantities of drift-wood and debris filled with the seeds of plants. Many of these are carried onward in the floe-ice toward the American coast, where they receive accessions from the McKenzie River, and in the course of years work their way through the group of islands between North America and (Jreenland. The Saskatchewan River also contributes its quota of organic relics to the burden borne on the bosom of the Polar current from the Arctic regions of the three continents. The peculiarity of all these great water courses is, that their sources are in temperate latitudes, while their embouchures are in Arctic or Sub-Arctic regions, and thus the waste of vegetation which they bear downward toward the sea, Avhen they are swollen by melting snows, is oast upon the ice about their mouths. The seeds of plants flourishing in the regions from which these rivers flow might thus very readily be tra to mr NM 25 nstant play a oircuin- ;o of many : the Polar id the ice- leria. An ig's Straits, se through mtic again tion of the tt, upon the felt by the sauses it to 'lorida, and which are lal body of it a branch iirough the Lawrence, lole, and of uenced the an equal ers of this it Siberian drift-wood these are )ast, where nd in the of islands katchcwan be burden tic regions hose great latitudes, 3gions, and ird toward It upon the ling in the readily bo transported in the course of time, upon floe ice and drift-wood, to the north-eastern parts of America. Accordingly wo find little difficulty in tracing back the course of the Boreal and Arctic types north-westward across tho Continent of America, toward Asia. Attached to the table of Boreal forms are three columns shewing the range of the species to the N.W., compiled from the late Sir W. J. Hooker's Flora Boreali Americana, Dr. Gray's Flora of the Northern United States (1859), and a list of the plants collected at Anticosti by Prof A. E Vcrrill. Labrador and Newfoundland are bleak, inhospitable countries, whose flora is but imperfectly known ; yet of the three score species of this list, more than one-half have been gathered there. In the St. Lawrence Valley, chiefly in that part of it below the great Lakes and around Lakes Huron and Superior, more than two-thirds of the list of Boreal species occur; — many of these being only known in the far western parts of the Valley about Lakes Superior and Huron, or on the mountain tops of New England and New York. The presence of these species in Acadia is easily accounted for when it is considered that there is a continuous water communication from the great lakes of the interior to the northern confines of Acadia. But it is more remarkable, if we fail to give due weight to the transporting powers of the Polar Current, that all the high Northern forms, with half a dozen exceptions, should be already known as indigenous to the North West Territory, between Red [ River, the Arctic Sea, and the Rocky Mountains. Moreover, there are three species which, if one may judge from the authori- ties above quoted, are not known to occur in the interspace between this region and Acadia, or to the N.E. of the latter. These are CoUomia linearis, discovered by Mr. Fowler on the Gulf coast; Vilfa cv.sni Primrosel, Primula farinosit^ and /^V wit'olwodi'in'uMy which grow in several places along the shore ;^^^tbp Inttar with its beds of beautiful pale ,/P^^,,.^ :4 rose-colored flowers ^fcintlng) the gravelly beaches of Qt'uiji''a m,\^('=^^^^ To these we may perhaps add the Northern Green Orchis " (^Ptatanthera hi/perborea), and the wild Chive {Allium schoeno- mmmmmmmm i.J: prasum), the latter being frequently met with on rocky and gravelly shores ; also Aster grammi/oUus, Anemone Pennsj/lvanica, a vmry showy plant, with large white flowers, Nasturtium palustre, var. hispiduni, Pamassia palustris, the White Silver Maple (^Accr d(isi/airpitm), the Dwarf Cherry (^Pmnus pumHa'), the Black Alder (^Ikx vcrticillata), one of the Loosestrifes (Lysi- machla cUlata), the Bracted Bindweed (Gnhjstegia sepium), more commonly called Convolvulus, whose delicate white flowers, tinged with pink, present a beautiful contrast to the labyrinth of foliage with which they are entwined ; also the Water Persicaria (^Puli/gonum aviphibium), the Canadian Wood Nettle (^Luportea, Canadensis), Sparqanium racemosuni, and the Canadian Lily (Lilinm Canadense). Another plant, the " Sweet Coltsfoot," (^Nurdosmia Pahnata), if not introduced by birds, probably immigrated at a much earlier p-^riod (the Post-Pliocene), as it grows far above the piesent level of the river. While many North-Western and Western species have, by the spring floods of the river, or other means, been thrust into the group of species which characterize the coastal zone, others have been held at bay on the St. John River by the cool temperature and damp atmosphere, which prevail near its mouth during the summer months. From the observations presented in the foregoing pages, the following conclusions may be drawn: — 1st, One of the most peculiar features in the flora of the region to which these remarks relate, is the arrangeuient of several of the types mentioned, in zones around,a central tract, due to the refrigerating influence of cold waters ^n the adjacent seas. 2d, That although there are highlands of considerable elevation in Acadia, they do not appear to exercise a very marked influence on the vegetation, except in so far as they act as a barrier to the oceanic winds. 3rd, That on account of its semi-insular position, and its full exposure to the chilling effect of the Arctic current, the maritime parts of this couTitry have become the home of northern species not found within the limits of New England, and of many others v/hich grow only on mountain tops, or cold, sheltered places, in that part of the United States. 4th, That although the sea- coast of Acadia is thus inhospitable, the interior has a summer climate so warm as to encourage thfi growth of a group of plants which the damps and chill winds of the same season exclude from New England; such species being either entirely absent from 29 ocky and si/lvanicuy ipalustre, er Maple i'V<«)) the OS (Li/ai- sepium), e flowers, )yrinth of Persicaria Ltiportea diaii Lily oltsfoot," probably Dc), as it re, by the I into the ;hers have iiperaturo Ruling the pages, the the most e remarks itioncd, in fluence of there are y do not egetation, lie winds, d its full maritime rn species iny others places, in I the sea- a sunmier of plants lude from sent from .that region, or found only sparingly in its warmer western and southern parts. I Judging from what is known of the flora of our country, as compared with that of the Upper Provinces, we may look upon the narrow girdle of sub- Arctic vegetation, which borders our shores, as paralleled by that v*hich extends up the St. Lawrence River as far as the Island of Orleans, and reappears on the north shore of Lake Superior. The Boreal type, which is supposed to cover much of the northern part of Acadia, reappears on the St. Lawrence at and above Quebec, and is also met with around the shores of Lake Huron, and in the northern peninsula of Michigan. The group of plants which has been referred to as a Continental type, characterizes the country around Lake Ontario. Hence, we may look upon the central parts of Acadia as represented in climate and productions by that part of Ontario which lies around the eastern and northern shore of the lake of that name, and extends thence to Lake Huron. There is an assemblage of plants in the S. W. part of Ontario, which Mr. Drumn. jnd designat-d as the Brie type, and which is said to characterize the region around that most southerly of the great Lakes. Of this type we have, so far as known, no representatives in Acadia. We may assume, therefore, that there is no portion of Continental Acadia, possessing a summer as warm and dry as prevails in the more southerly part of Canada, around Lake Erie. But while a comparison of the climate of Acadia with that of the Upper Provinces may thus be instituted, through the indigenous plants which grow in different parts of the Dominion, it is to be borne in mind that such a comparison relates only to the temperature and other climatic conditions of the summer. In the winter the climate of the maritime Provinces is very much milder ; so that, while the valley of the St. Lawrence may be filled with snows to the depth of six feet or more, the southern shores of Nova Scotia may be but sparsely covered, or entirely bare. Finally, from the known climatic conditions of Insular Acadia, the character of the vegetation, in its different parts, may be roughly predicated. Thus, the fog- wrapt shores along the Atlantic coast are known to support a vegetation similar to that of the southern shores of New Brunswick and Eastern Maine. Further, the Boreal type probably extends along the northern shore of Nova Scotia into the Island of Cape Breton, and may 30 be expected to mingle to along the Atlantic coast, force on Prince Edward's by sub- Arctic forms near western part of Nova Continental tyP^'"]^|y^ sunnncrs, and''no^»-^e some extent with the sub- Arctic type The Boreal typo may be looked for in Island, fringed, as in New Brunswick, the shores. In the central and north- Scotia, a partial rccurrencQU)f the looked for; but owing to til^moister ,ikl?^t^^fefleft, it is probably more largely mingled with New England forms than it is in the valley of the St. John. type or in vick, orth- ■ the >ister more alley