31 



berries in a half a day's time. In olden time, however, this crop 

 was exceedingly large, hence the practice of growing them in 

 gardens was wholly unnecessary, and as a matter of history the 

 strawberry was not cultivated to any great extent in this State 

 previous to one hundred years ago. The former abundance of the 

 strawberry in Massachusetts is mentioned by William Wood in 

 1635, and also by Roger Williams, in Rhode Island, in 1643, who 

 stated that he had " many times seen as many as would fill a good 

 ship within a few miles compass," and it was possible, as is well 

 known to men now living, to gather a half bushel of strawberries 

 in a few hours in certain localities in this State not later than 

 seventy-five years ago, where a gill cannot be found at the present 

 time. Many of our native grasses have deteriorated in a like 

 manner. Among trees we find the beech, canoe birch and hem- 

 lock less common, the latter having fallen off to an enormous ex- 

 tent, and such plants as the orchids, ginsing, hobble bush and a 

 host of others have become much less common in certain localities, 

 as is evident to any one who has taken pains to study the past and 

 present distribution of these species, and who has also taken into 

 consideration their natural environmental adaptations. 



The question naturally arises, what is the cause of this change 

 in our floral conditions? This can be answered in a few words. 

 It is due to a decrease in the organic matter of the soil and its 

 associated humus compounds. There are other influences, how- 

 ever, which are in part responsible for the disappearance of certain 

 species, notably the hemlock, where the light conditions for the 

 growth of seedlings are at fault. It is, nevertheless, a lack of 

 organic matter which is responsible for the decline of these species, 

 taking them as a whole. In order that we may see the differences 

 in the amount of organic matter that exists in a soil approaching 

 the primitive condition and one that is more or less run out we can 

 examine the following table. These analyses were made in each 

 case with water-free samples. 



Table shoiving the Amount of Organic Mattel' in Some Massa- 

 chusetts Soils. 



Practically the same as surface. 



