56 THE EEPOET OF THE IsTq. 36 



bourhaod, uprooting and snapping off many hundreds of trees. "Woods of second 

 grow^th. poplar were knocked over like ninepins, and trees of all kinds suffered 

 greatly; even sound red oak, over a foot in diameter, being laid low by the terrible 

 force of the elements. 



Many of the fallen trees were already weakened by the attacks of insects, 

 among which the Carpenter Ant was most conspicuous, while others, previously 

 sound, now offered favourable conditions for the entrance of various species of wood- 

 boring beetles. 



My remarks here, however, will not be confined to such species as were con- 

 cerned in the effects of the storm, but will include any forms that have been con- 

 spicuous for their numbers or the injuries they have caused to forest trees in this 

 locality. 



De Grassi Point is a summer resort on the west shore of Lake Simcoe, about 

 three miles from its upper or southern end. It comprises an area of about 350 

 acres, and has an almost rectangular shore-line, about a mile in length, of which 

 about one-half forms the northern, the other half the eastern boundary. A con- 

 siderable portion of this area, including the apex of the point, is somewhat higher 

 than the surrounding land, and is composed of a mass of till or glacial clay, well 

 covered with soil and plentifully strewn with boulders, mostly of Laurentian 

 Gneiss. On this clay area is a beautiful grove of tall red oaks, forming next the 

 shore a broad belt among whioh the summer cottages stand. 



Back from this grove there are pastures with scattered trees and bushes, and 

 also much densely wooded land. Owing to the peculiar topography of the place 

 a great variety of forest types are represente'd in a very limited area. 



Extending southward, nearly plarallel with the east shore, is a low sand-covered 

 ridige, from which the land slopes gently on each side. The predominant trees 

 on this ridge are white pine and red oak, both of which at one time grew to mag- 

 nificent dimensions here. There are still a few hoary giants of the latter species, 

 upwards of three hundred years old and still alive, though long past their prime. 



On the east side, where the ridge is but a few hundred yards from the shore, 

 the slope is comparatively rapid, the land being thus fairly well drained and sup- 

 porting for the most part a typical hardwood forest. The prevailing trees here 

 are sugar maple, elm, basswood, red oak, white ash, large-toothed aspen, balsam 

 fir, hemlock and a few beech, yellow and white birch, black cherry and ironwood, 

 and iii the spring the ricih black soil is starred with magnificent trilliums, adders- 

 tongue, hepaticas, squirrel-corn, etc. 



On the other side of the ridge the land is almost level and the forest-types 

 of a very different character, and one which changes gradually as one strikes 

 through the woods to the north shore, the change indicating an increasingly wetter 

 soil. Balsam poplar, aspen, white birch, white cedar, balsam fir, tamarack, white 

 spruce and white pine are the prevailing trees. The higher parts were burned 

 over many years ago, and poplar, birch, cedar and balsam are now the chief trees 

 here, though vigorous young white spruce and some young pine are also coming 

 up. 



As we approach the shore tamarack becomes more abundant and black spruce 

 appears, and then we enter a lbe\t of tamaracks among which very few other trees 

 grow. Near the western boundary of this swamp a sluggish creek makes its way 

 to the lake, and its presence brings about other changes in the vegetation. As we 

 near the creek the tamaracks thin out and become smaller, small willows and vari- 

 ous shrubs appear, and then we traverse a dense zone of ericaceous shrubs (Cas- 



