REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST 207 



SESSIONAL PAPER No 16 



the extent to which they had spread out in every direction, special mention may be 

 made of the following kinds which doubtless can be made use of in prosecuting this 

 work. The Willow-leaved Meadowsweet {Spiroca salicifolia, L.). — This free-growing 

 bush, which not only produces large numbers of running roots or stolons, but also 

 ripens much seed, was found to be covering many acres and spreading rapidly over 

 some low spots in the central portion of the sand hill. This is a native shrub, common 

 in all swamps and low lands. The lied Raspberry {Ruhus strigosus, Mx.). — A form 

 of this common shrub was seen covering a large area on the farm of Mr. Thomas 

 McGregor, who has encouraged its growth, as well as some other native plants which 

 occur with it. The common Blackberry (Ruhus villosus, Ait.). — Even more luxuriant 

 than the Red Raspberry was the Common High Blackberry, which rooted freely through 

 the sand and threw up many stems. Both of these berry-bearing plants produce heavy 

 crops of excellent fruit, and it seems as though they might prove a valuable resource 

 to farmers, while at the same time performing the important office of providing a bar- 

 rier against the encroachments of the sand or as a temporary shelter, while more 

 valuable trees are being grown. Roses. — At various places old and vigorous clumps 

 of Sweetbrier, which were evidently many years old, were seen, as well as of the little 

 old-fashioned semi-double Cinnamon Rose. The Smooth Meadow Rose (Rosa llanda, 

 Ait.) was found in spots, covering several yards in diameter and shov/ing an unex- 

 pected power to grow up and keep its head above the drifting sand. Shrubs which also 

 showed great vigour and which occurred in many parts of the sand hill, where evi- 

 dently they had sprung up spontaneously, were the Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus 

 stolonifera, Mx.) and the Beaked Hazel (Corylus rostrata, Ait.). Of the wild her- 

 !;aceous perennials growing naturally on the sand, and the growth of which had 

 to some extent been encouraged, the most noticeable were the Common Milkweed 

 (Asclepias cornuti, Decne.), the Canada Thistle (Cnicus arvensis, Scop.), and Couch or 

 Quack grass (Agropyrum repens, L.). There were also seen in some places a few 

 plants of the Strawy Sedge (Carex straminea, Schk.), the Ox-eye Daisy and the Dan- 

 delion. 



- The trees which have been experimented with to the largest extent by farmers 

 living in the locality are the White Pine, Canada Balsam Fir, the Norway Spruce, 

 the White Spruce and the Tamarack or American Larch. Of these, the last-named 

 has made the most rapid growth, but seems to require more protection than the sturdy 

 spruces. The Balsam Fir has succeeded as well as the spruces, but is a less valuable 

 tree. The Norway Spruce has been planted only to a small extent, a few hundred 

 trees having been sent from this department three years ago. These were planted 

 carefully, and doubtless will succeed; but it is too early as yet to compare them for 

 this purpose with the White Spruce, which is the favourite conifer and is transplanted 

 from the woods in the neighbourhood. The greatest satisfaction is expressed by all 

 of the way in which willows have succeeded. The kind used for the most part is the 

 Inrge European Trco-Willow (Salix alba, L.) known mostly in this country under the 

 i^nme of French Willow. Large numbers of these trees have been started from cut- 

 tings and have in a single year made a remarkable growth, even from small cuttings 

 put in with little labour in a furrow made by a plough. Such plantations were seen 

 on the farms of Mr. John Doig and Mr. Walter Smith. On the edge of one of Mr. 

 Doig's plantations the sand had been drifted away by the wind so as to expose the roots 

 of one of his trees. These, by actual measurement, extended for forty feet from the 

 central point, showing the great value of the willow as a sand binder, both from its 

 rapid grovrth and fi-om its great root production. An observation of much interest, as 

 showing the power of the Canada Balsam to resist destruction by sand, was that this 

 tree, when covered up to a certain extent with sand, threw out large numbers of roots 

 from the branches which were partially submerged. (See Plate IL, fig. 10.) Many 

 samples of such branches were found upon trees which had their roots and trunks covered 

 up with from six to ten feet of sand. Experiments with Beach Grass and the Sea Lyme 

 Grass have been very satisfactory, particularly where the former has been planted on 



