2152 NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



around every forest area; their interesting bolls, if one 

 may so term them, are as remarkable as their trunks; 

 the trunk of one, Bombax Barrigon, is true to its vulgar 

 Spanish specific name, in having a very "aldermanic 

 rotundity" just above its base. The lofty but propor- 

 tionately small crowns of the giant "Cuipo" (Cavanil- 

 lesia) are a feature of the landscape near Pedro Miguel, 

 which happens to be about the northernmost limit of 

 this striking South American tree. There are, as every- 

 where in the tropics, many Ficus species, to puzzle 

 future botanists. Mahogany and cedar are scarce, 

 except near the Zone limits; however, the cutters' 

 axes of a concessionnaire can be heard from the orange 

 plantation at Juan Mina. Some new Lecythacese have 

 recently been discovered by Pittier of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture; some of the nuts rival the 

 Brazil and Paradise nuts. Many excellent hardwoods 

 are also in evidence. 



The branches and trunks of the rough-barked trees 

 usually support a varied flora of bromeliads, aroids, 

 and orchids. On the Atlantic slope, where the rainfall 

 averages around 125 inches a year, the orchids revel 

 in a droughtless climate; the dry season December to 

 April, or longer of the south or so-called west side of 

 the Isthmus, the precipitation of which is just about 

 one-half that of the Colon region, makes for a different 

 flora. The most famous orchid here is the "Holy 

 Ghost," or "Dove" (Peristeria elata); a coryanthes is 

 more interesting, however, and makes up in number of 

 flowers what they lack in size as compared with its 

 bizarre sister species, C. macrantha of the Trinidad 

 "high bush." The deep purple sobralias are striking; 

 the butterfly orchids (Oncidium spp.) are everywhere, 

 and range from buttonhole size (meaning the entire 

 plant with its two bright yellow flowers) to the one with 

 an 8-foot peduncle. 



Several fine marantas and costus spp. and rank Zingi- 

 beracea? and Araceae encumber the ground wherever 

 they can find plenty of shade and moisture. The 

 carludovicas, that made Ecuador hats world-famous, 

 abound in the denser jungles and are one of the worst 

 sorts of weeds on the Manawa cacao plantations; in one 

 ravine the petioles attain a length of 6 meters (20 feet) ! 

 Tagua (Phytelephas sp.) barely enters the Zone from 

 the south. But the true palms are everywhere: Acroco- 

 mia, Attalea, Bactris. Elaeis, Iriartea, Hyospathe, even 

 the terrible desmoncus (worse' than the calamus of 

 the Philippines). Four species, at least, yield oil for 

 the native table and two might prove of commercial 

 importance, the corozo (Acrocomia) and the elaeis, for 

 their kernels. Nuts of a small-fruited species of Attalea, 

 the commonest large forest palm, may also through 

 their great abundance be of value. 



Most of the still-water reaches of the "3,000-mile 

 coast-line" of Gatun Lake are more or less filled with 

 luxuriant water lettuce and lesser evils in the way of 

 aquatics; the Dredging Division is only now getting the 

 two water hyacinths under control, after a strenuous 

 fight with arsenical sprays by the hundred barrels. The 

 shallow bays teem with micro-organisms; the many 

 square miles of submerged forest furnish an excessive 

 amount of decaying vegetable matter to feed the sub- 

 aquatic life; billions of fish-fry are appearing now, so 

 thick in places that they may be scooped out with 

 the hand. Para grass and a papyrus-like rush are 

 preempting the margin an ideal habitat for the 

 hippopotamus, which should be introduced as a margin- 

 mower and aquatic-consumer to help out the Health 

 Department in destroying mosquito breeding-grounds, 

 and incidentally to furnish the Supply Department 

 with the same kind of wholesome meat that South 

 Africa once depended on. 



In a word, then, here in the most important country 

 of its size in the world, the Panama Canal is meeting 

 an unprecedented problem: in 325 square miles of 

 moderately suitable territory, more or less isolated, 



how nearly self-supporting shall this area be made, 

 what sort of horticultural development should it have, 

 and how much? The foreground is somewhat out of 

 focus at present, but there are certainly some very 

 interesting possibilities in the perspective. 



O. W. BARRETT. 



NEW ENGLAND STATES. 

 Maine. 



Maine (Fig. 2487) , the most easterly state in the Union, 

 lies between latitude 43 6' and 47 27' north, and 

 longitude 66 56' and 7 1 26' west. It has a very irregular 

 coast-line, extending from Kittery on the south to East- 

 port on the extreme east, so broken by river and bay 

 indentations as to measure about 2,500 miles in extent. 

 About one-tenth of the area of Maine is water. There 

 are about 2,200 lakes and ponds which act as reservoirs 

 to hold in reserve the vast water-power of the state. It 

 has three large river systems extending well into the 

 interior, along whose courses are found the most fertile 

 farms in the state. A central elevated plain extends 

 across the state from west to east, at an elevation of 

 1,000 to 2,000 feet, near the center of which is Mount 

 Katahdin, which has an altitude of 5,385 feet. A con- 

 siderable part of the five most northern counties of the 

 state are still covered with a heavy forest growth. In 

 the northwestern section, this consists of pine, spruce, 

 fir, hemlock and cedar; while farther south the conifers 

 are replaced by birch, beech, oak, ash, maple, and the 

 like. About three-fourths of the land area is classed as 

 forest land. Maine ranks first among the states in its 

 annual cut of spruce and fir, and third in white pine and 

 birch. The annual cut of all timber is about 1,000,000,- 

 000 feet. The forest interests of the state are separated 

 into two classes, viz., the Maine forest district of about 

 9,500,000 acres, and the forested area of towns and 

 plantations of 4,500,000 acres. 



A large part of the state is especially adapted to the 

 growing of fruit of exceptionally high quality. It is 

 true that the fruit-growing industry in Maine is in its 

 infancy so far as modern methods are concerned. Local 

 conditions are such that the most favorable opportuni- 

 ties exist for the development of this industry. Portland 

 is one of the most convenient ports for the shipping of 

 apples to foreign markets, and large quantities are sent 

 each year. The natural fruit-belt of the state embraces 

 the section south of latitude 44 30', although some 

 fine orchards are found in the center of the state ex- 

 tended to latitude 45 10'. Latitude 45 north is re- 

 garded as the northern limit of profitable fruit-produc- 

 tion, yet even in Aroostook County many orchards are 

 yielding good returns, especially of such varieties as 

 the Wealthy, Fameuse and Dudley Winter. The leading 

 commercial fruit is the apple, the normal crop being 

 about 1,000,000 barrels. The leading counties in the 

 state in apple-production are Oxford, Cumberland, 

 Androscoggin, Kennebec, Waldo and southern Frank- 

 lin, Somerset, Piscataquis and Penobscot. 



In York County, thrifty apple trees, over one hun- 

 dred years old, are still bearing. These probably came 

 from the famous Vaughan Nursery, in Hallowell, 

 which was established about 1800. The Bowman 

 Brothers, of Sidney, conducted an extensive nursery 

 for a number of years, growing their stock from seeds 

 taken from apple pomace at the cider-mill. The seed- 

 ling trees were grafted to Baldwins, Rhode Island 

 Greenings, Spy and other leading varieties. Rem- 

 nants of the orchards set from this stock are still to be 

 found in almost every section of the state. Many old 

 seedling orchards, which yielded the once-famous "hard 

 cider" for the Andrew Jackson political campaign, are 

 still in existence, but these are rapidly passing with the 

 coming of the movement for better fruit, and their 

 places are being filled with the best commercial varic- 



