IlocKv Mor.xTAix Ramhlks. 187 



feet high and jnany of them were 18 to 20 inches in dia-neter. 

 One is astonished to see how quickly the forest species occupv 

 the vacant soil, when left to itself. The rainfall in Portland is 

 about 50 inches, some vears less and some years more. Astoria 

 has a rainfall of about 75 inches or more some years, 77 to 84 

 inches in 1891, near Cascade Lake in the heart of the Cascades 

 87.35 inches. Hood River, on the Columbia near Mount Hood, 

 only 36.68 inches. The trees do not have near the vigor at this 

 point as near Portland. The yellow pine is more abundant than 

 where the precipitation is greater. The Dalles, on the Columbia, 

 to the east of the Cascades, is a region that is m.ore desert like, 

 with an annual precipitation of only a little over 12 inches. 



Som.e of the enterprising horticulturists have made experi- 

 ments with various eastern species. The European trees usually 

 do very well; there are splendid orchards of sweet cherries, apples, 

 and pears. Our eastern shag-bark hickory and the white oak, 

 however, make only a very slow growth. The redwood of Cali- 

 fornia {Sequoia sempcrvirens) is perfectly hardy. The giant 

 redwood {S. gigantea) is also hardy. The Lihocedrus decurrens 

 and white cedar {Chamaecy paris Nootkatensis and C.Lawsoniana) 

 also succeed. Splendid speci'.r.ens occur near Portland. One 

 is interested in the deciduous trees and shrubs found here. The 

 western dogwood {Cornus Nuttallii) with its large white bracts, 

 surrounding sm-all flowers crowded in a loose head, and its 

 bright and shiny leaves is abundant everywhere. The madrono 

 {Arbutus Menziesii) a small tree with exfoliating bark and the 

 white oak {Quercus Garryana) and ash {Fraxinus oregana) are 

 common in rocky places. The swales are lined with the western 

 wild apple {Pyrus rivularis) and the undergrowth contains an 

 abundance of beaked hazel {Corylus calijornica) the wood of 

 which is used for making rustic chairs and other furniture. The 

 Spiraea Douglasii, well-known in cultivation, as well as the 5. 

 lucida, is common in the woods throughout the region. I en- 

 joyed a small outing to Creighton, near Portland. The small 

 village is easily reached by an electric line and a short walk will 

 take one to the woods, the deep recesses with their firs and cedar. 

 At this point Mr. Thomas Howell lives. This farmer botanist 

 is the author of a Flora of Northwest America. He has en- 

 riched science by a large number of new species of plants. I 



