66 Canadian Forestry Journal. 



over the district referred to, is from twenty to twenty-two hours, 

 and the spruce in favoured situations, attain a considerable size, 

 even at altitudes of 2,000 feet above the valley. 



On slopes facing north and in the smaller and shaded creek- 

 valleys and gulches, the spruce forest consists of poles from four 

 to eight inches thick. 



The black spruce is abundant on the swampy portions of the 

 valley bottoms, and on moss-covered slopes facing northward. 

 This tree has a tendency to fork at the top, and seldom grows to 

 a large size. 



At the headwaters of streams, i.e. the low broad divides, 

 which are characteristic of portions of the district, the black 

 spruce often forms large groves. This upland plateau country 

 generally contains a few small lakes which are kept full by rills 

 formed by the constant thawing of the ground during the sum- 

 mer months. 



The pine of the district is not an important forest tree; it 

 has a limited range and is much smaller than the white spruce, 

 the general size being from four to six inches ; it is seldom seen 

 larger than nine inches in diameter. 



It grows in thin groves upon the dry benches which border 

 the Lewis, Pelly and MacMillan rivers, at a height of from forty 

 to 300 feet above the streams. 



The northern limit of the pine in the Yukon valley is at the 

 mouth of the Pelly river, but in the country to the east of the 

 Yukon, it extends farther north. From the McMillan river it 

 extends by way of Kalzas Valley northward towards the Stewart. 

 North of the Stewart, small groves of pines were seen by the 

 writer in the valley of Mayo river above Minto creek and on tlie 

 shore of Mayo lake. This is the most northern occurrence that 

 has been observed. The eastern limit of the pine was observed 

 on the MacMillan river, about fifty miles up the south fork. 



Next in importance to the spruce is the balsam; this tree is 

 never seen on the river flats of low elevation, but occurs on high 

 valley bottoms and on the mountain slopes. It seems to thiive 

 best at an elevation of about 1,200 feet above the valley; it oc- 

 casionally grows as large as eighteen inches in diameter. It de- 



