18 NANTUCKET TREES 



pine mixed, eight years old, vhich looked quite like a 

 forest at a distance." 45 The Norvay pines, Pinus 

 resinosa Ait., must have died out. It is only occasion- 

 ally about tovn that one finds the Norvay pine today. 



Today the pitch pine plantation across the 

 Siasconset and Polpis roads is heavy enough to -warrant 

 the term forest. A rutted road runs through them in the 

 direction of Saul's Hills and it is one of the pleasant 

 surprises of Nantucket driving to come out from this 

 forest cover to the vide horizon of the rolling moors. 

 A Nantucket Beacon, the "Bug Light, " vhich vas built in 

 1820 as a range light, stood near the junction of the 

 Siasconset and Polpis roads. It vas discontinued as a 

 government station in 1880. 24 Certainly the outlook to- 

 day from that site in the midst of the pines vould not 

 be favorable for a range light. 



Not only have the pitch pines made a thick grovth 

 near their original planting; they have spread across 

 the roads on both sides of the triangle and, as voods or 

 scattered grovth, are found all over the island. To the 

 south they cross the Surf side road so that here also one 

 may drive along a vooded road. The lichen-laden branches 

 indicate that the grovth is one of many years and vith- 

 in the shade a voodland flora has developed. The vaxy 

 vhiteness of Indian pipes and fragrant spikes of Chtma- 

 phila make fairy clusters among the coarse needles. 

 Chimaphlla maculata (L. ) Pursh. is included in the list 

 of vhich Bicknell vrites, "it should be noted that among 

 the Nantucket pines are found a fev voodland plants that 

 either do not occur at all elsevhere on the island or 

 are novhere else at home. It vould seem to follov that 

 the advent of these plants, or some of them, must have 

 been subsequent to the introduction of the pines. 



Off the Surfside road near the head of Miacommet 

 Pond is a thick stand of English larch and Scotch pine. 

 The planting vas made by Henry Coffin in I876. Mr. 

 Coffin vas evidently a lover of trees. The laburnum at 

 the Coffin place on Main Street as veil as that among the 

 larches is of his planting. Mrs. Clark, the granddaughter 

 of Henry Coffin, talking vith Miss Albertson (Mrs. Alfred 

 F. Shurrocks) in 1929, vas sure that the trees came from 



