122 College of Forestry 
with impeded drainage occur (Bog River between Long Lake 
West and Horseshoe and quite generally in the Adirondacks). 
Beginning with impeded drainage or lack of disturbance of 
open water by winds, with resulting check to bacterial 
activity and consequently to decomposition of accumulated 
vegetation debris, the bog status becomes cumulative appar- 
ently by the accumulation of toxic or actively harmful sub- 
stances in the bog water — toxic at any rate to typical swamp 
plants —and the failure to release nitrogen and perhaps 
potassium and phosphorus in a form available for the nutri- 
tion of the growing vegetation. Certainly nitrogen in avail- 
able form is deficient. The deficit of potassium and phos- 
phorus in the bog, whether because these elements are not 
present in the organic substratum in sufficient quantities, 
or whether through imperfect decomposition are not made 
available, is not made up by the slow additions of mineral 
matter, as by wind-blown soils, for we are dealing with situa- 
tions where the bringing in of sediment by stream flow is of 
small moment. Acidity’ may play a role in intensifying 
bog conditions or, possibly, the “ acid reaction” of the bog 
soil. 
It is to be noted that other factors, for example, low 
temperature, may inhibit bacterial activity and hence favor 
the accumulation of undecomposed vegetation remains 
(peat). It has been suggested that this factor would play a 
role in bogs (they are spoken of as ‘“‘cold bogs”) and par- 
ticularly in the Adirondack region. Certainly on Mount 
Marcy this seems to be the case as it is notably in the arctic 
regions generally where peat formation under tundra vegeta- 
tion occurs. Recent investigations in bogs of regions corre- 
sponding to our Zone B* do not seem to bear out this sug 
gestion but for the zones D, E and F in the Adirondacks the 
case may be different. 
Se F. V. Experiments in Blueberry Culture, B.P.I. Bull. 193, 
Me Dachtowend: Alfred, The vegetation of Cranberry Island (Ohio) 
and its relation to the substratum, temperature and evaporation. Bot. 
Gaz., 52:1911. 
