NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



17. ONTARIO 



BY O. D. HOWE AND J. R. DYMOND 1 



I. GENERAL CONDITIONS 



The greater portion of the province 

 is very thinly inhabited. More than 

 one half its area has no permanent 

 population and has been only roughly 

 explored. Over 80% of the popula- 

 tion is confined to an area of 30,000 

 sq. mi., which may be found south of a 

 line drawn from the southern end of 

 Georgian Bay on Lake Huron to the 

 city of Ottawa. 



Topography and climate 



The greater portion of the Province 

 drains into Hudson Bay. Although 

 extensive agricultural areas are being 

 developed in the northern region, most 

 of the agricultural and populated portion 

 at present belongs to the St. Lawrence 

 drainage basin. The agricultural areas 

 are for the most part underlain by 

 limestones and shales, which have been 

 largely covered with glacial drift. 

 There are, also, sedimentary rocks in a 

 band from 25 to 100 mi. wide around 

 James Bay. The remaining portion of 

 the province consists chiefly of crystal- 

 line rocks in much of the area so near the 

 surface, that it will probably remain for 

 all time as forested land. The phys- 

 iography of the vast forested area is 

 that of a partially dissected peneplain. 

 It has a general elevation of 1,000 to 

 1,500 ft. with a relief which is usually 

 less than 300 ft. 



It extends through 15 of latitude in a 

 north-south direction and through 21 

 of longitude in an east-west direction, 

 it displays considerable variation in 

 climate. The precipitation is equally 

 distributed as to seasons and ranges 

 from 20 to 40 in. while the growing 

 season varies from 150 days in the 

 Niagara Peninsula to 60 days in the 

 Hudson Bay region. 



\ I am indebted to Mr. J. H. Fleming for advice 

 and assistance in the preparation of the fauna! 

 accounts. 



II. ORIGINAL BIOTA 



1. Deciduous and mixed forest 



The character of the forest varies 

 with the climate. The district lying 

 between Lake Huron and Lake Erie 

 has the hardwood flora of the Ohio 

 valley, and the northern part of the 

 province has a coniferous forest flora. 



a. Plants. The basis of the southern 

 forest, which has now almost entirely 

 made way for agriculture, was maple 

 (Acer saccharum), oak, elm, chestnut 

 (Castanea dentata} and hickory, with 

 tulip (Liriodendron tulipifera}, black 

 walnut (Juglans nigra), hackberry (Cel- 

 tis occidentalis}, sassafras (Sassafras 

 variifolium} } as secondary species. This 

 area is represented in practically virgin 

 condition by Rondeau Park. 



A line drawn from the most western 

 point of Lake Ontario to the southern 

 most point of Lake Huron marks the 

 northern boundary of the southern 

 hardwood forest. Outliers of this type, 

 however, may be found as far north as 

 Toronto on Lake Ontario and as Go de- 

 rich on Lake Huron. Northward and 

 eastward of these points to the line 

 mentioned in the first paragraph, the 

 forest is chiefly represented by farm 

 woodlots and at the present time they 

 consist of hardwoods, mostly maple, 

 elm, beech, basswood (Tilia americana), 

 hop horn -beam (Ostrya virginiana}, 

 with northern white cedar (Thuja 

 occidentalism swamps in the depressions. 



Along the southern border of the 

 crystalline rock, sugar maple comprises 

 about 50% and beech 25% of the hard- 

 wood forest; basswood 10%, yellow 

 birch (Betula lutea) 6%, hemlock (Tsuga 

 canadensis] 3%, white ash (Fraxinus 

 americana"), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), 

 American elm (Ulmus americana} each 

 about 1%. As one goes northward, 

 the beech and basswood drop out, and 

 then the maple, yellow birch making up 

 the deficiency until it becomes dominant. 

 The hardwood forest occupies the deeper 

 glacial drift soils, which for the most 

 part are very stony loams, and it usually 

 caps the low[ ridges. 



