Vol. 4 No. 5 



TORREYA 



May, 1904 



A CANOK TRIP ON THE ST. FRANCIS RI\T-:R, 

 NORTHERN MAINE 



Ilv W. W. Eggi.eston 



The nrst week in Augu.st, 1902, found a small gatherinf^ of 

 New England botanists at Rivaere du Loup, Quebec, although 

 the meeting was all unplanned on their part. 



When I left the St. Lawrence steamer the hotel porter said 

 " two men have just taken the steamer with packs like yours ; 

 they are coming back in a couple of days." The register 

 showed M. L. I-^ernakl and K. F. Williams. The next steamer 

 brought Judge J. R. Churchill, who was easily persuaded to stay 

 over a day when he found that Dijoptcris fragrans Schott 

 could be seen at Riviere du Loup Falls. 



The next night I was routed out about ele\'en o'clock, but 

 one could easily forgive Merritt Fernald when he proposed a 

 trip on the St. Francis. This stream was first explored by C. G. 

 Pringle in the 70's. In Pringle's time the only railroad in the 

 country was the Intercolonial on the St. Lawrence ; now the 

 Temiscouata railroad runs from Riviere du Loup to PLdmunston 

 on the St. John River and then up the St. John to the mouth of 

 the St. P'rancis. 



This was the route Fernald and I took. At St. Francis we 

 secured canoes and guides and were carried ten miles to the foot 

 of Glazier Lake, the end of wagon roads. 



The expedition started very favorabl}-, for what New England 

 botanist would not have good luck with W^illiam Oakes as 

 principal guide. Such was the fact, and a good guide, canoe- 

 man and cook was W^ Oakes. 



Our trip from the foot of Glazier Lake up the St. Francis 

 was to include about fifteen miles of lakes and twenty-five miles 

 of " strong water," as the guides called it, to Boundary Lake, 



[Vol. 4, No. 4, of ToRRLV.v, comprising pages 49-64, was issued April 28, 1904.] 



