164 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 



3. The Black Cohosh {Cimicifiiga rdcemosd) formerly common 

 in this neighborhood, is now extinct. It is cultivated by several per- 

 sons in the village of Grimsby and in the adjacent county, being re- 

 garded by many as a sovereign remedy for rheumatism. 



4. In the Atlantic Monthly for October, 1862, was published an 

 entertaining article by the late Henry D. Thoreau, the famous New 

 England naturalist. The article is entitled " Autumnal Tints," and 

 has been reprinted in a volume of miscellanous essays by the gifted 

 author. While much of the article agrees with what is noticed in 

 Ontario, the present writer, after many years' observations in different 

 parts of the Province, feels that there must be a great discrepancy 

 between some of the facts as given by Mr. Thoreau and the same 

 facts as noted by himself. Thus, according to Thoreau, the red 

 maple is the earliest tree to change the color of the leaves and shows 

 the brightest tints, the average date for the change being September 

 22nd. The sugar maple does not follow for some two weeks, and 

 is much less brilliant and varied in color. Then follow the elms,, 

 hickories and other trees, and iinally the scarlet oak in November,, 

 showing a wealth of scarlet and crimson unsurpassed except by the 

 red maple. The present writer, however, has noticed that the sugar 

 maple displays the greatest wealth and variety of color, varying from 

 lemon yellow to scarlet, blood-red and crimson ; also that it is the 

 earliest to change, its average date being about September 17th in 

 the more northern parts of the Province, and September 24th to 

 27th in the more southern. The red maple, on the contrary, with 

 a few exceptions, in its native haunts presents a dull red or even a 

 brownish red color, and changes on or about October 2nd. The 

 few exceptions referred to are some trees which show partly green, 

 partly red colors in blotches, probably the most beautiful leaves of 

 all. Again, too, the scarlet oak turns in color about October 6th, 

 and the leaves fall before the end of the month ; moreover, they do 

 not present the brilliant red attributed to them by Thoreau. The 

 present writer is not aware of any systematic attempt to ascertain 

 the dates of the change of tint of our more common forest trees nor 

 of any observations regarding the variability of the change. He is 

 not aware whether anything has been published to show that change 

 of color depends upon or does not depend upon soil, dryness of 

 the season or surroundings of the trees. If any thing has been done 

 by any other members of the Association it should be published. 



