(39°) 



town Harbor. North of this zone the hills are bare except 

 for the few species characteristic of barren sand dunes. 

 Judging from the early descriptions of the region however 

 there seems to be no question that the flora was once far 

 more abundant both in numbers and in species than it now is, 

 and apparently we must regard that which we now find there 

 as merely the remnants of that which once prevailed. 



In William Bradford's account of the landing of the pil- 

 grims from the " Mayflower," in Provincetown harbor, Nov. 

 ii, 1620, he says in his journal : 



" On this side where we lay is the bay, and on the further 

 side the sea ; the ground or earth, sandhills, much like the 

 Downes in Holland, but much better; the crust of earth a 

 spit's depth, excellent black earth; all wooded with oaks, 

 pines, sassafras, juniper, birch, holly, vines, some ash, wal- 

 nut ; the wood for the most part open and without underwood, 

 fit either to go or ride in." 



This account would apparently indicate the presence of a 

 forest of tall trees, largely deciduous and totally different 

 from the stunted growth, almost exclusively consisting of 

 pines and oaks, which are 'now almost the sole representa- 

 tives of the arborescent flora. 



This condition did not last very long however, if we may 

 judge from the subsequent records of the colony, as may be 

 seen from the following preamble to Chapter 3 of the Acts 

 of 1 7 14 : 



" Whereas, the harbor of Cape Cod, being very useful 

 and commodious for fishing, and the safety of shipping, both 

 inward and outward bound, is in danger of being damnified, 

 if not made wholly unserviceable, by destroying the trees 

 standing on the said cape (if not timely prevented), the trees 

 and bushes being of great service to keep the sand from 

 being driven into the harbor by the wind. Be it enacted," 

 etc., while in 1740 there was passed "An Act to prevent 

 damage being done to the harbor of Cape Cod by cattle and 

 horse-kind feeding on Provincetown land." 



Subsequently probably a dozen or more similar acts were 

 passed and thousands of dollars were expended by the State 

 and National governments in the attempt to prevent further de- 

 struction of the vegetation and to reclaim the areas denuded. 



