338 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ns to the discomfort of often walking through the cedars on the 

 shore. Baker lake is a fine body of clear water, rather shallow, 

 and with beatiful shores. Here we found some of the character- 

 istic plants of the St. John district, and this can be said to come 

 properly in the northern belt. The pines on the east of the lake 

 are fine, and seem to have very little spruce intermingled with 

 them. Below the outlet of this lake we saw two beavers sitting 

 demurely on the alder shore. They were not frightened at our 

 approach, and waited for a few minutes before they plunged into 

 the stream. 



Rhodora Canadensis and Myrica are abundant and in full bloom. 

 In the neighborhood of an old lumber camp I collected all the in- 

 troduced plants, and was surprised to see how numerous they were. 

 They had been introduced with the hay of the winter supply. 

 Cerastium viscosum, Rumex acetosella, Poa pratensis, Festuca 

 pratensis, Elymus, Leucanthemum vulgare not in fl., Chenopodium 

 album, Taraxacum Densleonis, Autennaria margaraticea, Gnapha- 

 liura uliginosum. 



Having reached south-west or boundary branch we endeavored 

 to ascend it, but the water was too low to admit of it. Here we 

 found the shore tinged in some places with the rosy hue of Primu- 

 la Mistassinica, and in others purple with Viola palustris. Ribes 

 rubrum is very abundant, and an allied species, perhaps a variety 

 of R. rubrum, occurs with it. The rivers at their confluence form 

 the upper main St. John. The shores in some places are high 

 banks of gravel, probably terraces ; in other parts of the river they 

 are low and rocky, covered with small trees of second growth. 

 The water washes along a shallow shore most of the way, even 

 where the terraces are highest, and over rocks and stones so firmly 

 bedded in the sand or clay as to resemble pavement. This pecu- 

 liarity of the main river can be noticed even as far down as P'rcd- 

 erickton, and permits the use of horse boats during a large part of 

 the open year. The boat is allowed by a long rope fastened to one 

 side, to swing out into the stream, while the smooth, paved path- 

 way aflbrds a capital chance for the horses to walk. By the reso- 

 lution of forces the boat keeps the middle of the stream, or deep 

 water, and thus an easy mode of navigation is secured. The river 

 is in many of its turns obstructed b}'' boulders of granite and 

 schist, and in others b}' the troublesome gravel beds which are 

 often of large extent and resemble " sand-bars" at the mouths of 



