ALEXANDER 



NATURE-STUDY PARADISE 



351 



forms ledges on several of the mountains, and on Mount Onondaga 

 two small caves have been located formed by the splitting and 

 toppling -of gigantic fragments of this rock. Originally the 

 mountains of the present Park domain were covered by an ahnost 

 pure stand of giant hemlocks. Some 30 or 40 years ago this 

 virgin forest was wholly destroyed, the timber being cut for 

 tan bark chiefly. The mountains today are reclothed by second- 

 growth deciduous trees of which the hard woods are most in 

 evidence. Hard Maple, Yellow Birch, Shagbark Hickory, 

 Pignut, Chestnut, Beech and Hophombeam are the predominat- 

 ing species. The Conifers are but sparsely represented, White 

 Pine and Hemlock being the only kinds noted by the writer. 

 Am. Yew is quite abundant in most parts of the park area. There 

 is a curious overlapping of the Canadian and Austral floras and 



faunas in the Alleghan^^ 

 State Park, making the 

 area more interesting in 

 many ways. 



Among the more beau- 

 tiful trees that are com- 

 mon here but reach their 

 maximimi development 

 south of New York, are 

 the Cucimaber and TuHp. 

 These are found on all 

 the mountains, but the 

 oaks are few in number. 

 White, Red and Chest- 

 nut being the only kinds 

 found. Sassafras and 

 Sourgum also And a place 

 in the park and here and 

 there one finds excellent 

 specimens of the rather 

 unusual Black Maple. 

 Of the shrubs Mountain 

 Laurel, L c a t h e r w o o d, 

 Moosewood and Moun- 



,. . • tain Maple arc al)un- 



Mr. Alexander with some lively specimens „ 1 1 1 1 1 1 



for Nature-Study classes. dant. Hobble bush and 



