FLORA. 177 



ing account : ' The Vuig forest estate covers an area of 

 530,000 deciatins. It lies to N.N.E. of the district of 

 Povonetz, and in its northern part it abuts on the Govern- 

 ment of Archangel. Within its area there are about 2100 

 inhabitants of both sexes, so that there are more than 250 

 deciatins for each person. The soil of this estate is sand ; 

 in some places it is damp and covered with a deep layer of 

 moss; and there are a great many bogs, marshes, and 

 small lakes in low-lying places ', but withal there are along- 

 side of these dry meadows and undulating ridges, and even 

 hills of rock, consisting of granite and other primitive for- 

 mations, partly covered with drift-sand and partly bare ; 

 stones cover the ground everywhere. The climate is very 

 severe ; there is scarcely any spring ; sometimes in the end 

 of May the lakes and rivers are free of ice ; and after that 

 the heat sets in with scarcely an intervening period. 



' The absence of darkness during the summer, and, in 

 consequence of this, the greater and continuous action of 

 the solar rays, allows of continuous vegetation ; and growth 

 proceeds very rapidly. But even at mid-summer, with 

 the constant north winds, there are frequent frosts. The 

 grain ripens in August, and by the end of that month 

 autumn begins. The first snow falls generally in October, 

 but sometimes it does not till November ; and not till this 

 month, and sometimes not till the month of December, do 

 the lakes freeze. The lateness of the freezing of the lakes 

 is attributed to the autumn being warm in places adjacent 

 to the ocean. The prevailing winds, partly in autumn 

 and in winter, are northern : the midnight or mid-winter 

 wind blowing from the N.N.E. These winds are very con- 

 stant and continuous. In consequence of the abundance 

 of waters and woods, the difference between the tempera- 

 ture of the day and night is very considerable in summer. 

 Frequently after a hot day, there is so much frost during 

 the night that in the marshes the water freezes. 



'All of these peculiarities, characteristic as they are of 

 the soil and of the climate, could not fail to have an influ- 

 ence on vegetable and animal life there, and give an 



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