103 On the Heat of Springs, [Arc 



which is perhaps the finest I have ever seen. It has opened to itself 

 a way through the turf two feet deep, and coloured all around it of 

 a deep red, from the pure ochre which it has deposited. Its tem- 

 perature was, on the 5th August, 36 - 68°. 



This is, without doubt, the true mean temperature of the earth 

 in this place. 



Lycksele ; lat. C4 - 5°. 



At last, after having gradually lost one half of the common 

 plants of Upland, we reach the limits of Lapland. A few northern 

 plants take the place of those that have disappeared. Most of the 

 Lapland plants remain upon the heights of the mountains. On that 

 account vegetation becomes poor and uniform. Those plants which 

 are now most common in the meadows grow in Upland only in 

 thick shady woods ; as, for example, the aha flexuosa in dry 

 places, and the aira ccespitosa, arundo calamogrostis, and stricta, 

 in moist places. Some few meadow plants still make their appear- 

 ance in the neighbourhood of houses, thus indicating beforehand 

 that they are just about to disappear. These are trij'olium prattnse, 

 poa pratensis, ranunculus acris. 



The lake called Fahl-Tr'dsk is the northern limit of scirpns 

 palustris, alisma plantago, lysimackia thyrsijlora, trifolium pra- 

 tense. J^orthecium boreale and serratula alpina grow abundantly in 

 moist places. 



How cold a soil so miserably covered with plants must be, it is 

 easy to conceive. The colonists, who in the whole of Norrland 

 consider the springs as all equal, and call them cold springs, begin 

 now to lament bitterly over their appearance. They consider them 

 as a plague to the land, and consider their appearance as a punish- 

 ment for their sins, destined to destroy their husbandry. In fact, 

 though these springs do not cool the air, it is evident that a field, 

 through which water of the temperature 35*6° flows, is not calcu- 

 lated to produce rye, which requires for its growth a temperature of 

 46'*4°. Springs are only beneficial to the fields when they possess 

 this temperature. But the heat of springs at Lycksele does not 

 exceed 35-6°. Below the great but short waterfall at the church of 

 lycksele lies the lake Tansele. On its south-western shore, a 

 Swedish mile from Lycksele, is situated the colony Tansele, not far 

 from which there are two springs. I found the temperature of 

 eastern Kallkallb'dckcns, which rises in the middle of a wood, on 

 the 9th July, 35-6° ; on the 3d August, 35-96°. 



West from it lies Ky/tnu/rskhlla. It was, on the 9th July, 

 35-6° ; on the Sd August, 3578°. 



Another spring, between the church of Lycksele and Knajj'lvn- 

 gard, gave, on the 2d August, 36* 14°. 



These observations seem to establish 35 - G° as the mean tempera- 

 ture of the earth at Lycksdr. 



1 found the temperature of Sj'olcrgs spring, in Fahltriisk, on the 

 15th July, 3;-4°; on the 27th July, 37'5S° : and that of Ny'a 



