THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 143 



herbaceous plants were to be seen. Ferns were among the 

 few species that were distributed only along a deep ravine. 

 Where this ravine traversed a corner of the area from which 

 the timber had been cut they were thus left without their 

 wonted shelter and in a season or two they disappeared. 

 Potentilla nionspeliensis, the rough cinquefoil, in a short time 

 came to be abundant all over the higher ground. Climbing 

 false buckwheat {Polygonum scandcns), in summer and au- 

 tumn was very conspicuous, being seen in nearly all parts of 

 the clearing, trailing over the prostrate branches of the trees 

 and shrubs. 



About the latter part of July of the first summer, I notic- 

 ed that Canada fleabane (Brigeron candense), hereabouts 

 called "horse-tail," was spreading rapidly, particularly on the 

 hillsides, along old paths and close to the old wagon-road that 

 led through the forest that is now destroyed; in some places 

 it stood so dense that the crowding rendered the plants sickly. 

 The American pennyroyal, also, was abundant. Wild sun- 

 flowers (species of H elianthus) , and Silphium integrifolium 

 were conspicuous in the fall of" the year. Yarrow, true to its 

 pastoral nature and bringing visions of shepherds and flocks 

 and the olden time, soon appeared everywhere on the hillsides 

 and level places. Galiimi concinnum, a bedstraw, grew in all 

 such places as afforded it grass or brush for support. White 

 vervain was rare, while the blue and the hoary were much in 

 evidence. On the higher levels, mainly, was found a Rud- 

 beckia, or cone-flower. 



Mullein {Verbascum thapsus), generally considered, was 

 not very plentiful, but on the spots where the brush piles were 

 burnt in autumn, this plant sprang up so thickly in the follow- 

 ing spring that it was impossible to walk over such places 

 without treading upon the rosettes of woolly leaves. Canada 

 fleabane, Venus' looking-glass {Specularia perfoliata), and a 



