40 College of Forestry 
(8) That as a matter of fact the floristic stock from which 
our present vegetation was renewed, lay, for the most part, in 
regions to the ‘southw ard (southern Appalachians and lands 
to “the westward) during the glacial dominance. 
(4) That these species migrated northward, falling back 
into their zonal positions as one may say, as these life zones 
expanded northward with the retreat of arctic climate. 
Modern Aspects of the Plant Geography of New York. 
We may now pursue the more specific purpose of this 
bulletin, which, in the larger view, may be said to attempt 
a preliminary outline of the plant geography of New York 
State. Our efforts to interpret the present day aspects of 
vegetation development will have been reinforced by the 
survey of the geologic aspects of it just considered. Certainly 
we can gain no adequate perspective without considering its 
remote history. On the other hand, some of the statements 
made with such confidence about the conditions and results 
of vegetation of geologic periods are largely based upon 
phenomena which we find presented by vegetation to-day. 
Questions like the following are to be answered: 
1. What does New York State offer as an environment 
for plants ? 
2. What, so far as we know, is the content of New York 
State flora ? 
3. What are the general relations of our flora to the rest 
of North America and to Europe—Asia ? 
4. What are the broad aspects of distribution or segrega- 
tion as determined by climatic relations — latitude, maritime 
and inland lake relation, elevation, ete. ? 
5. What are the aspects and relationships of vegetation 
development as determined by the substratum — soil condi- 
tions, water level, etc. ? 
Aspects of the Environment. 
It is a common experience that the plant life of a region 
is an index of the environmental conditions. Sometimes it 
is said that the vegetation of land —e. g. Australia —is a 
