226 THE PLANT WOELD 



Briefer Articles. 



THE DWARF MISTLETOE AT MOUNT KTAADN. 



The climatic forest type of the Mount Ktaadn district is the black 

 spruce-balsam combination, in which the black spruce {Picea nigra 

 Link) is by far the most important factor. In light of this fact there 

 seemed no reason why the dwarf mistletoe {Arceuthohium pussillum 

 Peck) should not occur there, unless climatically excluded, which 

 seemed highly improbable, as Howe has recorded its occurrence as far 

 north as Newfoundland.* 



So it had seemed peculiar to the writer that the Arceuthohium had 

 never been noted from this region, though visited by many botanical 

 parties. Consequently, during a two weeks' visit to Ktaadn last August, 

 a sharp outlook was kept for the mistletoe. Its characteristic appear- 

 ance makes it almost sure of detection, so our search was not long with- 

 out its reward. Gratifying was it on the seventh day of our visit, while 

 following the trail from the South Basin down to Lower Basin Pond, to 

 note its abundant occurrence along the trail, first appearing at an alti- 

 tude of about 2740 feet, which was its highest station noted. At the 

 mouth of Lower Basin Pond outlet an area of spruce some fifty feet 

 square is completely infested with this Kttle parasite, producing dwarf, 

 gnarled, and scrubby growth, not unlike the krmnmJiolz (scrub) of the 

 table land and higher slopes. Although the balsam {Abies balsamea 

 Miller) was sparingly present, it was entirely free from infection. 

 Hull Botanical Laboratory, University of Chicago. 



LeEgy H. Harvey, 



AN OLD SPHAGNUM BOG IN LA CROSSE COUNTY, WISCONSIN. 



About seven miles from La Crosse in the La Crosse Valley, between 

 the Sand Hills, there formerly occurred a sphagnum bog covering twenty 

 or thirty acres. These bogs are numerous further east and north in the 

 State. There are none, so far as I know, to the south on the Wisconsin 

 side of the Mississippi. This bog now, however, has disappeared owing 

 to the cutting out of timber on the lands above the bog. The removal 

 of the timber, consisting of Pinus Strobus, Quercus tinctoria, Betula 

 papyrifera, B. lenta, Carpinus CaroUniana and Ostrya Virginica, on the 

 sandy uplands, and the cultivation of these lands has caused the once 



*Howe, C. D. Some Notes on the Dwarf Mistletoe, Torreya, 2 : 8. 



