BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE 



Vegetation of Cape Breton. — The publication of this thorough- 

 going investigation of the vegetation of northern Nova Scotia 1 is of 

 interest not only because of the very large contribution that it makes 

 to our knowledge of the plant associations of eastern North America, 

 but also because it presents the results of a new experiment in the 

 analysis and description of vegetation in general. The scheme of 

 classification used was published in The Plant World two years ago. 2 

 At the time it seemed to the reviewer that the scheme was not as com- 

 pletely genetic as some others, but the present paper shows that it 

 certainly makes possible a clear presentation of the development of 

 the vegetation of a very complex region. 



Nichols recognizes two "Climatic Formations" contributing to the 

 vegetation of Cape Breton. The Northeastern Evergreen Forest For- 

 mation dominates the interior plateau and reaches its climax in the 

 forests of balsam fir, white and black spruce and paper birch. One 

 interesting edaphic modification of formations is the complex known 

 as the "barrens." These occur on better grained uplands of the plateau 

 and develop from sedge-grass heath to dwarf shrub and spruce heath, 

 or to "krumholz," or scrub forest approaching the climatic type in 

 composition. In the poorer drained areas the black spruce and alder 

 predominate. The successions in ponds and lakes from aquatics to 

 flat bogs are given together with an excellent summary of the origin, 

 development and distribution of the raised bogs. 



The lowlands are dominated by the Deciduous Forest Formation, 

 with varying additions from the Evergreen Forest. The dominant 

 trees in the climax association are the beech, sugar maple, yellow birch, 

 balsam fir, hemlock and white pine. The Xerarch Series of associations 

 includes association complexes beginning on rock outcrops glacial drift, 

 talus, rack ravines, headlands, sea beaches and dunes. The Hydrarch 

 Series of associations includes those of well drained and poorly drained 

 lakes, swamps and stream margins; also those of salt and brackish 



1 Nichols, G. E. The Vegetation of Northern Cape Breton Island, Nova 

 Scotia. Trans. Conn. Acad. Arts and Sci. 22: 249-467. June, 1918. 



2 Nichols, G. E. Plant World. 20: 305-319, 341-353. 1917. 



145 



THE PLANT WORLD, VOL. 22, NO. 5 



