38 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



life was spent in Philadelphia in mercantile pursuits. From his 

 youth he devoted his leisure to the study of Cryptogamia and at the 

 time of his death was recognized by the best authorities as one of 

 the two leaders in the scientific world in the knowledge of mosses 

 and lichens. Retiring from business in 1869 and desiring to devote 

 himself to scientific pursuits, he removed to Cambridge. In Phila- 

 delphia he was an officer of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 

 He had been treasurer of the American Pomological Society since 

 its origin until a year since, when he resigned that position. He 

 was for a considerable time the chairman of the committee of pub- 

 lication of the American Philosophical Society, and was connected 

 with other important societies. At the time of his death he was 

 engaged in the preparation of a Manual of North American Mosses, 

 in connection with Mr. Leo Lesquereux, to which he was bringing 

 the experience of forty years' study. Quoting the words from the 

 private letter of a friend; u The study of plants, I believe, is con- 

 ducive to longevity, but cannot confer immortality. We can only 

 gather whilst the summer lasts and winter must come at last 'to 

 shake all our buds from blowinor. 1 " 



■■»• 



- The White Pine.— Mr. W. H. Ballou, of Evanston, read a 

 paper before the American Association for the Advancement of Sci- 

 ence, at Cincinnati, in which occurs the following passage with ref- 

 erence to the origin of the White Pine in Michigan: 



The first thought suggested is relative to the origin of the 

 white pine forests. From whence came the species which so strictly 

 confines itself to its own peculiar territory? The oak and most 

 other trees are naturally reproductive, and young trees are equally 

 prolific in their growth on the same soil where the first forest was 

 leveled to the ground. They may be transplanted on almost any 

 territory, and without any special care, speedily growing up to a 

 state of usefulness to man. Not so with the white pine. It is now 

 an almost undisputed fact that it will not reproduce on the parent 

 soil, and that when transplanted elsewhere, its development is mark- 

 ed with early decay in so many instances as to disparage the work. 

 Furthermore, it is beset at once with the same host of natural ene- 

 mies common to it on indigenous ground. 



For some years past my attention has been directed to some 

 facts which may have bearing on the question under consideration. 

 The pine of the level country east of the Rocky Mountains seems 

 to have its best growth in proximity to the lake region. I have 

 noticed that frequently, where a lake recedes,leaving a sandy beach, 

 evergreens, the juniper, pines,etc, are very apt to spring up. With- 

 in the memory of man, a wide sand beach near Waukegan has been 

 made, and on this area a miniature white pine forest has appeared, 

 and thrives. On some lone islands in Lake Erie, of evident recent 

 formation, called the East Sister, the Old Hen, etc., I observed sev- 

 er il years since that a similar phenomenon had occurred. These 



