September 26, 1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



383 



strained by the capacities and limitations of plant-growth, 

 would probably result in something coherent and entirely 

 new ; and it may be that thought unhampered by prece- 

 dent along such tracks as these will reveal to somebody 

 that there are possibilities in carpet bedding which will 

 develop it into what as yet it has rarely become — a thing 

 of meaning and consistent design, and, therefore, in itself 



beautiful and desirable. .. 



Pittsburgh, Pa. -"• A. Laparn. 



Native Trees and Shrubs about Montreal, Canada. — I. 



IT is a generally recognized fact that the vegetation of 

 any locality supplies the best and most comprehen- 

 sive indication of the character of the climate. Of course, 

 such an estimate must be comparative ; we must have 

 some other locality or localities in mind in order to appre- 

 ciate resemblances or differences. It is probably safe to 

 say that most persons who have never visited Montreal 

 and vicinity, in the Province of Quebec, have an idea that 

 the climate of the district is much more severe or arctic- 

 like than it is shown to be by the plants which naturally 

 grow there. Of course, the region cannot be compared 

 properly with maritime European localities in the same 

 latitude, but subject to the warm influences of the Gulf 

 stream, for most such places having the latitude of. Labra- 

 dor enjoy a climate in which trees and shrubs can be 

 grown which could not withstand the winters of Montreal, 

 several hundred miles farther south. A glance at any iso- 

 thermal chart of North America shows that the St. Law- 

 rence River valley enjoys a somewhat more moderate 

 climate than the territory on either side of it in the same 

 latitude; and, accordingly, we find corresponding differ- 

 ences in the character of the natural vegetation and in the 

 crops which can be grown. The flora is fairly considered 

 Alleghenian in character. 



To give an idea of the winter temperature at Montreal 

 it may be stated that the McGill College Observatory re- 

 cords show a mean annual temperature of about eighteen 

 and a half degrees, Fahrenheit, for the months of Decem- 

 ber, January and February during the ten years from 1870 

 to 1880, and in the last six of these years the extreme was 

 something under twenty-five degrees below zero of Fah- 

 renheit. The McGill College being situated in the shelter 

 of the city and mountain, the temperature of the country 

 outside may be taken as often several degrees colder. Tem- 

 perature of thirty degrees below zero is uncommon. 



The following list of trees and shrubs, growing naturally 

 on the island of Montreal and the country on the southern 

 mainland opposite, is by no means complete, but will 

 serve to show better than anything else the character of the 

 climate. The list is merely an enumeration of the species 

 noted from time to time, with little attempt at exploration. 

 I have never seen the flora of the shores of the river on 

 the north side of the island, and most of the species re- 

 corded have been observed in the woods of the Caughna- 

 waga Indian Reservation, and near the mouth of the Cha- 

 teauguay River, opposite Lachine and St. Anne's, on Mon- 

 treal Island. 



As this is mostly a limestone region, in which plants of 

 the Heath family do not thrive, the absence of members 

 of this group will be noted, but there are points within 

 twenty or thirty miles of the city of Montreal where Blue- 

 berries, Cranberries and other Ericaceae are abundant. 



Clematis Virginiana, the common Virgin's-Bower, is 

 abundant in many localities. 



Menispermum Canadense, or Moonseed, is not rare, the 

 slender stems often clambering over stumps, rocks or 

 shrubs. It is a pretty twiner here as elsewhere, with clean 

 attractive foliage, and very hardy. 



Berberis vulgaris, the common Barberry of Europe, is, 

 of course, not native, but seems to be naturalized in some 

 places. 



Tilia Americana, Basswood, is plentiful, and grows to a 

 fine timber size. The honey made by the bees when the 

 trees are in flower is distinctly "Basswood honey." 



Xanthoxylum Americanum, Prickly Ash or Toothache- 

 tree, occurs along fences, in neglected stony fields and 

 along the borders of woods as a shrub from five to ten feet 

 high. It is sometimes medicinally used by the natives. 



Ilex verticillata, Black Alder or Winterberry, is abundant 

 in moist places. Nemopanthes Canadensis, Mountain 

 Holly, is found in swamps. 



Celastrus scandens, the Climbing Bitter-sweet or Wax- 

 work, grows abundantly in rocky limestone soils, climbing 

 over Hawthorns and other small trees ; the fruiting plants 

 are very handsome in autumn and winter. 



Rhamnus alnifolia, a dwarf inconspicuous Buckthorn, is 

 found in moist places. R. cathartica, the common Buck- 

 thorn of Europe, is quite hardy about Montreal, attaining 

 the stature of a small tree, but so far as I know it has not 

 really escaped from cultivation and become naturalized, as 

 it has in some parts of the country. Ceanothus Ameri- 

 canus, the New Jersey Tea, occurs on the south shore of 

 the St. Lawrence. 



Vitis riparia is the common wild Grape of this region. 

 The small blue-black fruit is gathered in large quantities in 

 the autumn and sold in the Montreal market either for do- 

 mestic use or making a sort of wine. The flowers- are very 

 fragrant. Phylloxera often occurs in abundance on the 

 plants, but they generally seem to bear the disease without 

 very serious inconvenience, although the fruiting of the 

 plant must be affected. Ampelopsis quihquefolia, the Vir- 

 ginia Creeper or American Ivy, is common, and is often 

 collected and planted for ornamental purposes. 



Acer Pennsylvanicum, the Striped Maple or Moosewood 

 Maple, is abundant. Planted singly it forms a neat orna- 

 mental little tree. A. spicatum, the Spiked Maple, is also 

 locally called Moosewood Maple, and forms thickets of 

 many-stemmed plants from ten to fifteen or more feet high 

 in moist localities, where the next two species occur. The 

 bark has some resemblance to that of the young Sugar 

 Maple-trees, and plants of A. spicatum have sometimes 

 been sold as Sugar Maples in Montreal market, of course 

 to the disappointment of the purchaser, as the Spiked Maple 

 never becomes a large and well-proportioned tree, and is 

 considered practically worthless. A. rubrum, the Red or 

 Swamp Maple, is very abundant in all swamp-lands, and 

 lends the richest effects of coloring in the early autumnal 

 landscapes. A. (dasycarpum) saccharinum, the White or 

 Silver Maple, may be found growing plentifully in similar 

 situations as the Red Maple, but it becomes a larger tree. 

 Both species are often extensively tapped for their sap in 

 spring, although this sap is not nearly as rich in sugar as 

 that of the Sugar Maple, and is, therefore, more costly to 

 manipulate, and is only collected when an abundance of 

 the other cannot be had. A. (saccharinum) barbatum, the 

 Sugar or Rock Maple, forms fine groves throughout the 

 country around Montreal, and among them are many 

 stately old specimens which have borne tapping by the 

 primitive axe or gouge, and the more modern bit or auger, 

 for a hundred years at least. The so-called variety nigrum 

 apparently also occurs, but no sharp line of distinction can 

 be drawn between the species and variety. 



Rhus typhina, the Stag-horn Sumach, is very abundant 

 in some localities, and occasionally forms small broad- 

 spreading trees with stems ten inches in diameter. R. 

 glabra, Smooth Sumach, occurs in the Caughnawaga In- 

 dian woods, on the south side of the St. Lawrence. R. 

 Toxicodendron, the Poison Ivy, is common. 



Robinia Pseudacacia, the common Locust, though not na- 

 tive, has escaped from cultivation in some localities. It 

 becomes a fair-sized tree, and is as liable to destruction by 

 borers as it is farther south. 



Primus nigra, the wild Red or Yellow Plum, which was 

 included under Prunus Americana in Gray's Manual, is 

 abundant in thickets on rocky limestone soils, especially on 

 the south side of the river, opposite Montreal. The fruit 

 is very variable in size, color and quality. It usually ripens 

 from about the middle of August to the end of the month, 

 and is often collected for domestic use. Growing in the 



