45 
predict that no considerable areas will ever be devoted to agricultural 
purposes. 
A canoe journey through Blue Mountain, Raquette and Long Lakes 
and connecting streams and ponds, is an event of rare interest. The 
vegetation of the shores is everywhere suiSciently attractive, but one's 
interest and admiration culminate at various points along Raquette 
River. Nowhere have I ever seen more beautiful natural planting. 
Very often the commingling of the vegetation is such as to produce 
the most striking effects, which linger long afterwards as pleasant 
pictures in the memory. At certain especially noteworthy spots the 
principal species on the river banks appeared to be Acer dasycarpum^ 
Pyrus Americana^ Abies balsamea and Lobelia cardinalis. The maples, 
of rather small size and bushy form, were in greatest numbers. 
Mingled with these were shrubby forms of mountain ash with branches 
appearing like fronds, and producing an airy and graceful effect; and 
the back-ground was filled in with rather sombre but beautiful speci- 
mens of balsams, wliile in front of all and close to the water's edge 
were great masses of luxuriant cardinal flowers laden with a profu- 
sion of bloom. 
Of the numerous aquatic species encountered, none was more at- 
tractive than the water-lilies. The patches met with here and there 
presented marked diiTerences in the size and color of the flowers, the 
size and general appearance of the leaf, and in the whole aspect of 
the plant. The forms in the Raquette system of lakes and streams 
answered best to the descriptions of NympJuea odoraia, while after 
crossing the divide at Stony Creek and entering the Saranac system 
all the plants observed answered more nearly to N. tuherosa. The 
whole appearance of the Nymphreas was such as to suggest the need 
of a modification of the description of the species _as_ now given, and 
perhaps the recognition of several well marked varieties. 
The wise action of the Legislature in refusing to sell any more of 
the nine hundred square miles still owned by the State in the Adi- 
rondacks ought to be supplemented by the purchase of perhaps an 
equal area, or at least by the passage of a law securing its control, so 
that the further removal of timber may be prohibited, or at all events 
properly regulated. Perhaps the greatest damage to the natural 
beauty of the region has thus far resulted from the damming up of 
streams and the outlets of lakes. The object is sometimes to facili- 
tate the getting out of timber, at others to deepen the water so as to 
permit the use of small passenger steamers, which are unhappily be- 
coming quite numerous. In either case the result is the permanent 
flooding of the banks and the death of all timber on the flooded areas. 
Even some parts of the beautiful Raquette have been already doomed. 
The devastation from this source ought also to receive legislative 
attention, and be as far as possible prohibited. In general, it seems to 
me that the vast importance of the Adirondack forests to the State, 
and the irreparable injury, even from the utilitarian standpoint alone, 
which their destruction would bring, has never been overstated, or 
even fully stated. 
Cornell University, Ithaca. A. N. Prentiss. 
