ROOT HABIT IN THE FAR NORTH 231 



(1) was found in the deep soil on the slope of the large island in 

 Split lake, mentioned above. It is practically a complete figure 

 of this seven-year-old tree. Figure A' represents root A, viewed 

 from above. Although the depth of this particular individual 

 is scarcely less than that of the much older tree figured in (2) 

 it is possible that it really does represent a difference in habit, 

 a possibility which cannot be confirmed because of lack of in- 

 formation concerning the root habits of large white spruce in 

 deep soil. In this locality, spruce roots were found about a 

 meter below the surface and this individual was selected to show 

 the bending of the tap root at a level determined by some cause 

 as yet unknown. 



This habit of the white spruce is decidedly different from 

 that exhibited by it in a shallower soil. Figure 2 shows a part 

 of a root system with the thick trunk and one of the main roots. 

 Only a very small part of this exceedingly extensive root system 

 is shown : the roots remain about the same in thi kness for some 

 distance beyond the limits of the figure, although much branched 

 and many meters long. This tree was about seventy years old 

 and was found on a large island in Split lake near the Hudson 

 Bay Company's post. One of the noteworthy features about 

 this system is the abruptness of the transition of thick root to 

 thin root, even without branches. In the case of a tree 11.8 

 meters high, no roots were found below 35 cm. and none over 2 

 mm. in diameter below 26 cm; In another case a tree 14.8 

 meters high had only two roots over 3 cm. in diameter at a dis- 

 tance of 25 cm. from the tree and a depth of 14 cm. In these 

 shallow soils it apparently forms no tap root, roots of nearly equal 

 sizes radiating from the common center. 



In the south of Canada white spruce is an inhabitant of the 

 dryer soils, seldom being found in the muskegs with the black 

 spruce. J. B, Tyrrell records its presence as "fine, large trees' 

 at Boyd lake on the edge of the Barren Lands (about 61°30'N. 

 lat., 103°30'W. long.) and large trees were noted almost down to 

 Doobaunt lake on the same river, about 100 miles within the 

 Barren Lands. Drifted trunks of large trees were found at the 

 junction of the Thdew river and the Telzoa river (about 64°35'N. 



