FOREST commissioner's kepokt. 95 



SPRUCE ON THE ANDROSCOGGIN. 



The Androsco2iiindraina<re is considerably smaller yt-a. topog. 

 than that of the Kennel)ec, while it is less than half "^""'^t''- 

 as large as the basin of the Penobscot. According to Wells' 

 "Water Power of Maine," the Androscoggin drains in the 

 State of Maine about 2,750 square miles, and in the state of 

 Kew Hampshire about 850. Of the whole, however, only 

 about 2,200 has to be considered in relation to spruce, for in 

 the southern portion that species can hardly be said to occur 

 as practicable timber. All of the Androscoggin drainage in 

 New Hampshire is, or Avas, spruce-bearing, while in ]Maine 

 the region of its distril^ution may be bounded roughly by a 

 line beginning in Gilead where the river finally enters the 

 state, and running thence northeast to about Phillips on the 

 Sandy river. This line encloses a gross area of about 1,300 

 square miles. 



The connection of the distribution of spruce wdth the eleva- 

 tion of the land is more evident here than in any other portion 

 of the State. Xorth of the line indicated the country is moun- 

 tainous. South of it, especially south of the Androscoggin 

 river, the land is comparatively low and much of it even and 

 sandy. Here small second growth pine is found in great 

 abundance. It extends south indeed as near as I have been 

 able to learn over the whole southwest corner of the State. 

 The original growth too was largely pine, while spruce, 

 except for bunches on the mountains and in the swamps, 

 seems not to have occurred. 



The same relations hold good to some extent north of the 

 river, as in Newry and Andover in the low lands bordering 

 the streams. Parts of those towns are mountainous, however, 

 and those portions except where they have been burnt over, 

 have a liberal mixture of spruce. Weld is another rough 

 town from which the spruce has been mainly killed out by 

 clearing and fire. But the line of division in general is pretty 



