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1906] GANONG—NASCENT FOREST OF MISCOU BEACH 105 
a swamp, and swamp plants appear—the iris, the sweet gale, some 
mints, species of Galium, and the dewberry; while the spruce gives 
way to the white cedar, Thuja occidentalis, and the alder beccmes 
abundant, forming a dense jungle. But this is of less interest than 
the vegetation of the outer zones, and hence I gave it little study. 
Thus it appears that these woods present no features, size of 
the plants alone excepted, markedly different from those of woods 
preponderatingly coniferous in the neighboring upland, and they are 
evidently tending towards the typical woods of this region—the mixed 
coniferous-deciduous forest. 
We have thus another illustration of that principle so important 
in physiognomic ecology, that vegetation, no matter under what 
immediate physical conditions it may be, is always tending towards 
a climax type, determined primarily by climate. 
CONCLUSION. 
In this paper I have tried to state the facts about the vegetation 
of a somewhat remarkable place, adding thereto some ecological 
comment whose chief value is to illustrate our ignorance of that 
subject. As I understand it, such descriptions as this aims 
to be may have three values. First, they can present to all who 
have interest in such matters a series of pictures, as vivid and real- 
istic as possible, of the vegetation of special places, and they are 
the more valuable according as they are the more clearly and attract- 
ively written and the more aptly illustrated. Second, they should 
help to supply information, badly needed by all of our manuals, 
about the natural habitats of the common or important species 
of plants. Third, they can form storehouses of facts about vege- 
tation upon which the future student can draw as the advance of 
physiological ecology gradually makes possible an understanding 
of the principles underlying physiognomic ecology. Such descrip- 
tive work can be done to profit by the student whcse work is perforce 
confined to his summer vacations, if he but bring to it time and 
care enough; but he should be content to describe well and to leave 
interpretation to the field physiologist yet to come. Speculation 
cannot of itself advance knowledge, and it can bring a subject into 
disrepute. It is only, I believe, through field physiology, the study 
