206 Froceediuf/s Fort. Soc. Rat. Hist. 



Penobscot Bay region any different from those in the rest 

 of northern !N^ew England ; and such is the case. The climate 

 in this district is essentially that of any moist north temperate 

 area, with warm days and cool nights during the summer. 

 As is usual in coastal regions, however, the proximity of the 

 ocean brings about a much more equable climate than is found 

 inland, and this has an eft'ect on the vegetation in that the 

 growing season is prolonged. Data from three U. S. 

 AYeather Bureau stations on the coast (Eastport, Bar Harbor, 

 Portland ) for five years, 1909-1913, show an average grow- 

 ing season of 162 days, while a similar average for inland 

 stations (Orono, Millinocket and Greenville) is only 111 

 days. Although the precipitation records show very few 

 variations throughout the state as regards the actual rain- 

 fall, the coast of ]\Iaine, particularly from Eastport to Penob- 

 scot Bay, owing to the prevalence of fogs, is in summer an 

 exceptionally moist area. The fogs, caused by the meeting 

 off shore of the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and the icy 

 waters of the Arctic Current, are almost constantly present. 

 Situated at the entrance to the Bay of Eundy, the "fog fac- 

 tory," as it is called, Eastport shows a response to the exces- 

 sive moisture in that it has a lower temperature in summer 

 than any other station in the state for which records are 

 available. The same condition occurs in the Penobscot Bay 

 region, but no official records are available. The constant 

 dampness of the atmosphere, together with the eft'ect of the 

 cold w^ater which washes the shores, creates conditions along 

 the outer islands and coast very similar to those in more 

 arctic regions, and thus aft'ords a habitat for arctic plants. 

 This boreal region extends from Eastport to Penobscot Bay 

 and even bevond, but it is much less marked west of our area. 



