690 



The American Naturalist. 



[August, 



THE SWAMPS OF OSWEGO COUNTY, N. Y, AND 

 THEIR FLORA. 



By W. W. Rowlee, 



CORNELL UNIVERSITY ITHACA, N. Y. 

 POSITION OF OSWEGO COUNTY, ,. 



Oswego County lies in the extreme northeastern corner of 

 the Finger Lake Basin of central New York. Lake Ontario 

 makes, at this point, a great bend to the north after having its 

 shore line almost due east and west for upwards of one hun- 

 dred and fifty miles. The lake consequently forms the north- 

 ern and a large part of the western boundary of the county. 

 On the northeast are the foot-hills of the Adirondacks, some of 

 which extend into the corner of the county. On the southeast 

 is Oneida Lake and Oneida River, which occupy the lowest 

 part of the general basin toward its eastern end, and south of 

 which lie the hills forming the divide between this and the 

 Susquehanna Basin. On the southwest there are no physical 

 boundaries separating this county from adjoining ones. The 

 county is part of the plain which extends west and southwest 

 through several counties, the lowest points in which are occu- 

 pied by Onondaga Lake, Seneca River, the Montezuma 

 Marshes and Cayuga Lake. The plain narrows rather ab- 

 ruptly to the southeast and leads over a very low divide into 

 the valley of the Mohawk River. A comparatively narrow 

 plain follows the lake shore north through Jefferson County. 



DRAINAGE SYSTEM OP THE COUNTY. 



The present drainage of Oswego County is peculiar. Os- 

 wego River, flowing as it does directly through the county, 

 wou/ld naturally be expected to receive a considerable amount 

 of the drainage. It, however, receives very little. A low di- 

 vide extends from east to west through the central and west- 

 ern parts of the county, the summit of which is about half- 

 way between the north shore of Oneida Lake and the south 

 shore of Lake Ontario. The summit of this divide is well- 



