428 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



under whose general supervision they have been prepared, to 

 Mr. E. W. Merrill, of Sitka, who has kindly furnished the ex- 

 cellent series of photographs for the plates, many of which 

 were taken expressly for this purpose, and to Dr. J. C. Arthur, 

 oi Lafayette, Indiana, who has identified the rust fungi. 



THE FLORA IN GENERAL. 



TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE. 



Sitka is located on the west, or seaward side of Baranoff 

 Island in latitude 57° 3' North, and longitude 135° 20' West. 

 It is built partly on gravelly soil, which is an old beach de- 

 posit, and partly on some low hills. In the rear of the town 

 is a peat bog or Muskeg, beyond which are some low hills alter- 

 nating with Muskeg until the base of the mountain is reached, 

 which is less than a mile from the shore line. In most places 

 in the region around Sitka, the distance from the sea to the 

 base of the mountains is much less, as in many places the sea 

 actually beats against the steep slopes of the mountain sides. 

 Except some small areas at the mouths of streams and on the 

 Muskeg the region is all heavily timbered up to about 2,500 

 feet elevation. The mountains rise to elevations of from 1,800 

 feet to more than 4,000 feet, with some peaks in the interior 

 of the island about 5,000 feet in height. On some of the higher 

 slopes small glaciers occur. 



The shore line is very irregular and the sea in the vicinity 

 is studded with islands. All except the smallest of these islands 

 are forested. 



The soil along the shore line consists of coarse gravel mixed 

 with a black material composed mostly of decayed organic mat- 

 ter. Farther in we find some orange-colored soils supposed to 

 he ancient volcanic ash from Mount Edgecombe. This of itself 

 seems almost absolutely sterile to plant growth. This volcanic 

 ash is covered with a layer of muck and peat, varying in thick- 

 ness. Moss prevails nearly everywhere. At many places, espe- 

 cially on the steeper mountain slopes, there is scarcely any- 

 thing that could be called soil. 



The climate of Sitka is moist and equable. The precipita- 

 tion averages about 85 inches per annum. Spring and summer 

 are drier than autumn and winter. June is the driest month, 

 with an average rainfall of 3.46 inches, while October is the 





