ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. / 



ciding in general with these topographic districts. The 

 lower botanic division, however, extends a few miles west 

 of the sandv coastal plain boundary line, and the third 

 botanic division begins in the damp "coves'' and the higher 

 mountain spurs lying just east and south-east of the Blue 

 Ridge. 



It must not be inferred from the above statement that 

 these botanic divisions are separated by any sharp lines on 

 the two sides of which radically different conditions of soil 

 and climate and vegetation exist, for while there are cer- 

 tain places where these conditions do change abruptly, 

 generally such is not the case; but, on the contrary, these 

 divisions are separated by what may be called transition 

 zones, in which the conditions of the two adjacent regions 

 commingle to a greater or less degree. Thus in the fol- 

 lowinor counties we find transition conditions between the 

 eastern and middle districts: Northampton, Warren, Vance, 

 Franklin, Durham, Wake, Chatham, Moore, Montgomery, 

 Richmond and Anson. And the tier of counties just east 

 of the Blue Ridtje ma\- be reg-arded as the transition zone 

 between the western and middle botanic districts. Here 

 in the valleys we find physical conditions and plants such 

 as characterize the middle district, and on the slopes of 

 the higher ridges are found a climate and vegetation much 

 like those of the mountain district. 



These differences in topography and elevation, with 

 accompanying differences in soil, corresponding in a general 

 way to geological formations, have given this State a 

 wonderful variety of woods, and have placed in juxtaposi- 

 tion trees normally separated by many degrees of latitude. 

 Thus are found in North Carolina eight species of pines 

 out of the thirteen given in the Tenth United States Census 

 Report as occuring in the United States east of the Missis- 

 sippi River; twenty oaks out of twenty-three; all of the 

 six maDles; three elms out of four; all seven magnolias; 



