﻿Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Jack 
  Pine 
  Plains 
  of 
  Michigan 
  

  

  W. 
  L. 
  McAtee 
  

  

  The 
  Jack 
  Pine 
  Plains 
  or 
  Barrens 
  of 
  Michigan, 
  like 
  analogous 
  

   regions 
  elsewhere, 
  are 
  of 
  considerable 
  interest 
  to 
  botanists. 
  That 
  

   they 
  are 
  barren 
  from 
  the 
  agricultural 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  is 
  shown 
  clearly 
  

   by 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  abandoned 
  farms 
  in 
  their 
  outskirts 
  and 
  the 
  

   total 
  lack 
  of 
  farming 
  population 
  in 
  their 
  typically 
  developed 
  in- 
  

   teriors. 
  However, 
  the 
  word 
  barren, 
  without 
  modification, 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  Pine 
  Plains, 
  for 
  in 
  them 
  some 
  plants 
  

   reach 
  their 
  very 
  acme 
  of 
  development. 
  For 
  example 
  the 
  jack 
  

   pine, 
  Finns 
  Banksiana, 
  the 
  characteristic 
  tree 
  of 
  the 
  Plains, 
  un- 
  

   hurt 
  by 
  fire 
  for 
  a 
  sufficient 
  time, 
  makes 
  a 
  noble 
  forest. 
  Such 
  

   crops 
  of 
  blueberries 
  and 
  pin 
  arid 
  choke 
  cherries 
  as 
  are 
  produced 
  

   on 
  the 
  Plains 
  are 
  exceeded 
  nowhere; 
  the 
  writer 
  saw 
  numerous 
  

   choke 
  cherry 
  trees 
  with 
  branches 
  bent 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  with 
  their 
  

   loads 
  of 
  fruit. 
  Botanists 
  have 
  reason 
  to 
  be 
  thankful 
  that 
  the 
  

   Plains 
  are 
  barren 
  agriculturally, 
  for 
  to 
  this 
  fact 
  Is 
  due 
  their 
  preser- 
  

   vation 
  in 
  something 
  like 
  their 
  natural 
  state; 
  and 
  they 
  harbor 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  Interesting 
  plants 
  of 
  Michigan. 
  

  

  The 
  characteristic 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  Jack 
  Pine 
  Plains 
  have 
  been 
  

   listed 
  at 
  least 
  thrice;* 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  article, 
  therefore, 
  

   is 
  not 
  to 
  catalogue 
  the 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  Plains, 
  but 
  rather 
  to 
  give 
  an 
  

   idea 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  in 
  general, 
  and 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  

   nature 
  of 
  certain 
  subordinate 
  plant 
  associations 
  of 
  the 
  Plains. 
  

  

  Why 
  the 
  Jack 
  Pine 
  Barrens 
  are 
  called 
  Plains 
  is 
  not 
  apparent 
  at 
  

   first 
  sight 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  region; 
  certainly 
  In 
  the 
  Boardman 
  

   Plains, 
  Grand 
  Traverse 
  County, 
  ravines 
  are 
  numerous 
  and 
  there 
  

   are 
  many 
  basins 
  containing 
  lakes, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  deep. 
  How- 
  

   ever, 
  there 
  are 
  extensive 
  areas 
  of 
  fairly 
  level 
  country 
  and 
  the 
  

  

  region 
  no 
  doubt 
  is 
  a 
  dissected 
  plateau. 
  In 
  Crawford 
  County 
  

  

  — 
  — 
  — 
  ? 
  ~ 
  . 
  

  

  ♦ 
  Beal. 
  W. 
  J. 
  i8th 
  Ann. 
  Rep. 
  Hort. 
  Soc. 
  Michigan 
  1888: 
  52-54- 
  1889. 
  Beal. 
  

   W. 
  J., 
  & 
  Wheeler. 
  C. 
  F. 
  Michigan 
  Flora 
  (second 
  edition). 
  30th 
  Ann. 
  Rep. 
  Sec'y 
  

   State 
  Bd. 
  Agr. 
  1892: 
  19-21. 
  Beal. 
  W. 
  J. 
  Michigan 
  Flora 
  (third 
  edition). 
  Fifth 
  

   Rep. 
  Michigan 
  Ac. 
  Sci. 
  1904: 
  i6-i8. 
  

  

  187 
  

  

  