68 THE ADIRONDACK BLACK SPRUCE. 



cent, of the smaller piece. No other cause for it being apparent, 

 the difference in the size of the trees seems to be due to their 

 greater or less exposure." 



FOREST COMPOSITION. 



Throughout the entire forest, covering the Adirondack Plateau, 

 where the altitude exceeds 1,300 feet, the hardwood growth 

 accompanying the black spruce is in almost every locality made 

 up of maple, beech and yellow birch. Here and there, but at 

 widely separated intervals, are scattering specimens of the 

 white and black ash, black cherry, elm, basswood, " hard- 

 hack "* (Ostrya Virginica), and white birch. On burned 

 areas or reforested clearings the poplars and "pin" cherries 

 (Prunus Pennsylvania) grow in abundance, but are seldom seen 

 growing with the spruce in the primeval woods. 



In order to give some idea of the general composition of the 

 Adirondack woods, the foresters were directed to measure off in 

 different places an acre or more of ground and count each tree 

 within the space, noting, also, its diameter and species. They 

 were further instructed to take pains that the localities selected 

 should be ones in which the growth had no unusual character- 

 istics, and which would fairly represent the number and propor- 

 tion of the various species per acre. 



Foresters Olmstead and Sanford accordingly selected four 

 acres on Lot 39, Township 20, Franklin county, in the immediate 

 vicinity of the forest in which they examined the trees embraced 

 in the first 700 specimens of Table IY. These four acres are 

 situated about four miles west of the head of the Upper Saranac 

 Lake, and near the line of the Adirondack division of the New 

 York Central railroad. Their notes do not embrace the young 

 trees of seven inches in diameter or less, of which there was the 

 usual proportion standing among the others. The undergrowth, 

 like that of all the Adirondack forests, was somewhat dense, 

 being composed largely of " witch hopple " ( Viburnum lan- 

 tanoides) and striped maple (Acer Pennsylvanicum). The moun- 

 tain maple (Acer spicatum) was not plentiful, this species appa- 

 rently seeking the roadsides or openings. 



* Local, for Iron-wood. 



