36 



NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN 



The entire area here discussed lies within the holdings of the 

 Amana Community, a religio-eommunistic society whose settle- 

 ment is popularly known as the "Colony" or "Colonies". Two 

 of the seven towns belonging to the community, namely Home- 

 stead and Amana, are connected by the wagon-road which is 

 here discussed. Homestead lies about one and one-half miles 

 south of the Iowa river. The territory north of the town is more 

 or less broken and the highest parts traversed by the road in 

 question rise to an altitude of about 150 feet above the river. 

 The region between Homestead and the river is densely forested 

 excepting in the immediate vicinity of the town, and the present 

 owners, who were the original settlers and who are practical 

 conservationists, have maintained a large part of the forest in 

 its primitive condition for nearly 60 years. The road was cut 

 through this forest in a])out the year 1856 for the purpose of 

 connecting Homestead and Amana. It follows a general north- 

 erly course, but like many of the earlier ridge-roads it zigzags 

 more or less, bending somewhat toward the east, with its south- 

 erly part well exposed toward the southwest. For a short dis- 

 tance above Homestead the road is not bordered by woods, but 

 for at least one and one-third miles north of the open part it lies 

 wholly within the forest, which here extends quite to the river. 

 It is to this portion of the road which is closely bordered by a 

 dense forest that attention is specially directed. The altitude of 

 this part of the road varies from about 100 to 150 feet above the 

 river. Its width is 66 feet and it has been kept clear to the full 

 width for many years in a manner very characteristic of the 

 methodical and industrious owners. 



The flora covering this road-strip was originally the typical 

 flora of the forest such as now appears in the bordering woods, 

 but this has been completely replaced by a typical prairie flora 

 which borders the roadway throughout its length. The bordering 

 prairie strips on either side vary up to 30 feet in width and are 

 illustrated in part by figure 1, plate I. 



The accompanying list of plants, which were collected on the 

 cleared but otherwise undisturbed portions of the road strip, 

 contains 72 species of flowering plants of which 13 are mono- 

 cotyledonous, — mostly grasses. Of the total number only 6 

 species (those marked *) also occur less frequently in woods, but 

 usually in rather open places. Four of these species were here 



