Development of the Vegetation of New York State 57 
single specimens of chestnut and the finest bit of chestnut for- 
est which you have seen during this transect — or perhaps 
any other in New York espec sially in view of the destruction 
of this species by chestnut blight. So across the low elevation 
of the Oneida-Ontario basins to Oswego, oaks, hickories, 
chestnut and tulip continue, especially on the sand beds. You 
have therefore a combination of factors; not merely the 
return to near the low elevation with which you began the 
transect, but the modifying influence of the great inland lakes 
and the effect of deep, well-drained sandy soils. It should 
be noted that even in the basin country from Oneida to 
Oswego the normal climatic type of maple, beech, birch, hem- 
lock and pine asserts itself on elevated ridges, dr umlins, ete. 
Transect of the Adirondacks. 
The maximum effects of elevation on temperature differ- 
ence and zonal relations may be seen in traversing the Adi- 
rondack region from the low elevation of Lake Champlain to 
the similarly low St. Lawrence valley westward. This may 
be done by rail from Plattsburg to Lake Placid, thence via 
Tupper Lake Junction to Childwold, to Cranberry lake, 
thence from Wanakena to Carthage and via Philadelphia to 
Clayton. 
The following transect is constructed from rail, stage and 
foot travel between Clayton and Westport including the high- 
est elevation of the Adirondacks, Mt. Marcy. 
Beginning at Clayton on the St. Lawrence, one finds a 
sprinkling of oak and hickory representing the weak or 
thinned out extension of this element which extends down 
the St. Lawrence valley in notably less strength than on the 
south side of Lake Ontario. Chestnut scarcely extends this 
far — certainly only in sporadic specimens. The flat plain 
east to Philadelphia has characteristic lowland woodlots of 
elm, red maple, ash, ete., or typical swamp forest minus the 
better commercial stuff <, pine, white cedar, which 
have been cut out. Occasional flat sandy soils are covered 
with aspen, popple-birch, ete. From Philadelphia eastward 
the delta sands intervene and where was formerly white pine 
