October 17, 1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



4<3 



lower and richer ground the Hazel is replaced by the Crab 

 Apple, the Wild Plum and different species of Thorn. 



The prevalence of Oaks with smooth and glossy leaves 

 gives to many of these woodlands a peculiar distinctness 

 under the glow of the summer sun. A shimmering light 

 plays upon them, as well defined, although not as bright, 

 as that which glances from a water-surface, and these 

 bright areas catch the eye from a distance, and in the 

 broad sweep of the green landscape these forest-masses 

 rise out of the general level as sources of clear mellow light. 

 Chicago, 111. E. J. Hill. 



Native Trees and Shrubs about Montreal, 

 Canada. — IV. 



ULMUS AMERICANA, the American or White Elm, 

 is an abundant tree here, and specimens with trunks 

 three or four feet in diameter are frequent. It shows as 

 much variability in form as it does in New England. U. 

 fulva, the Red or Slippery Elm, called " Orme gras " by the 

 French Canadians, is more common than the American 

 Elm in some localities, and is most abundant on moist 

 rocky soils or near water. U. racemosa, the Cork-barked 

 or Rock Elm, is recorded in Macoun's Catalogue of Cana- 

 dian Plants as rare in the eastern townships of the Province 

 of Quebec, and extending westward throughout Ontario in 

 the limestone areas. The "eastern townships" comprise 

 the counties just north of Vermont and New Hampshire. 

 The Cork Elm is also found in Huntingdon County, and 

 probably other counties in this extreme corner of the 

 Province. It occurs on Montreal Island in the vicinity of 

 St. Laurent, along the upper Lachine Road, and probably 

 in other localities, forming fair-sized trees, with character- 

 istic corky, strongly depressed branches. 



Celtis occidentalis, the Nettle-tree, Hackberry or Sugar- 

 berry, is the " Bois inconnu" of the French Canadians. It 

 is considered rare, and seems to be of somewhat scattered 

 distribution, not generally occurring in large numbers 

 together. Montreal is about its most northern known 

 habitat, although some small specimens have been found 

 on the Ottawa River. The late Charles Gibb, in an essay 

 recommending the introduction of hardy trees into the 

 Province, mentions the Hackberry as worth bringing from 

 the west, not knowing that it was thriving naturally at 

 home. On St. Helen's Island, directly opposite the Mon- 

 treal city wharves, there are many specimens of this tree 

 growing in the natural woods, two of the largest measur- 

 ing about seven feet and eight and a half feet in circum- 

 ference. On the banks of the St. Lawrence between 

 Montreal and Lachine, and bordering the famous Lachine 

 Rapids, there are many good specimens to be seen, one 

 rugged old tree measuring over eight and a half feet in cir- 

 cumference of trunk at four or five feet from the ground, 

 and this trunk nearly touches that of another almost 

 equally large. Fine specimens also occur at St. Anne's, 

 on the western extremity of the island, and there is a good 

 group of the trees on the south side of the St. Lawrence a 

 couple of miles above the mouth of the Chateauguay 

 River. The Hackberry is an interesting tree, though 

 readily mistaken for an Elm by a careless observer. It is 

 worth noting that several species of the peculiar gall- 

 making insects (Pachypsylla), which affect the tree farther 

 south, have followed it in its northern range. 



Juglans cinerea, L., the Butternut or White Walnut, is 

 common. The Black Walnut, J. nigra, L. , is not indige- 

 nous, but is hardy, and has been planted in timber experi- 

 ments farther north. 



Hicoria ovata (Carya alba), the Shag-bark Hickory, is 

 found on Montreal and other islands in the St. Law- 

 rence, and is plentiful on the rocky ridges along the 

 south shore of the St. Lawrence through Caughna- 

 waga and Chateauguay. This tree and the Butternut 

 furnish the principal "nutting" in the autumn, as the 

 Chestnut does not thrive in this climate. H. minima 

 (Carya amara), the Bitternut, Pignut, or, as it is called in 



some parts of New England, " Hog Walnut," is more com- 

 mon than the Stag-bark Hickory, and is commonly found 

 in moist situations. Both of these Hickories are only found 

 as small saplings on the Indian Reservation, because the 

 wood is eagerly sought for by the Indians for their various 

 manufactures. A small nut resembling that of H. glabra 

 is sometimes collected by the habitants at Chateau- 

 guay, but I have not seen the tree or obtained other 

 specimens. The nuts are sometimes locally called "Sweet- 

 bitter Hickories," probably on account of some slight like- 

 ness to the Bitternut in nut or tree. 



Myrica Gale, Sweet Gale, is common in wet places and 

 along banks of ponds and streams. 



Betula lenta, the Sweet or Black Birch, is common, and 

 grows to large size. B. lutea, the Yellow Birch, is also 

 abundant. B. papyrifera, the Canoe or Paper Birch, is not 

 so common as it once was, but is still frequent in woods. 

 B. populifolia, the small White Birch or Gray Birch, is 

 common on the borders of woods or in openings in woods, 

 especially on the poorer soils. 



Alnus incana, the Speckled Alder, is abundant. It is 

 common to find old plants which regularly bear only pistil- 

 late catkins. In its wide range in this country, as well as 

 in Europe and Asia, this Alder shows much variation, 

 quite as much as in the cases of some plants where varietal 

 or even specific names have been established. 



Corylus rostrata, the beaked Hazel-nut, is the common 

 species of this region. The nuts are often collected, and, 

 though small, they are quite as sweet and edible as the 

 European Filberts of the markets. 



Carpinus Caroliniana, the Hornbeam, or Blue Beech, as 

 it is usually called in this region, is common on wet, rocky 

 soils, or near water. It sometimes grows singly, but more 

 often several small, inclined stems rise from the same root 

 or base. 



Ostrya Virginica, the Hop Hornbeam, better known as 

 Lever-wood or Iron-wood, is common and forms fair-sized 

 trees, and the wood is much valued for its strong, tough, 

 unbending character. 



Quercus macrocarpa, Bur Oak, or Mossy-cup Oak. 

 This is the common White Oak of the region about 

 Montreal, although it has generally been mistaken for 

 Q. alba, and is so given in some local lists. It shows very 

 great variability, and some extreme forms certainly show 

 much likeness to Q. alba in leaf, acorn and cup. In the 

 woods it forms first-class timber-trees, and in the pastures 

 and fields handsome broad-spreading, shade-giving speci- 

 mens. The "bur" or "mossy" character of the cup is 

 generally much less developed than it is in some of the 

 western forms, and the corky character of the bark of the 

 branches is also often much reduced. 



Quercus alba, the true White Oak, may be considered as 

 comparatively rare or uncommon in this locality, though 

 probably once more common than it is now. It is occa- 

 sionally seen in the woods on the south side of the St. Law- 

 rence. Professor D. P. Penhallow, in Notes o?i the Flora 

 of St. Helens Island, Montreal, published in the Canadian 

 Record of Science for September, 1S91, gives Q alba as one 

 of the trees on the island ; but Q. macrocarpa is probably 

 referred to as it occurs there and is not mentioned. 



Quercus bicolor, the Swamp White Oak, is not a rare 

 tree on the Island of Montreal, and is very common in 

 some localities in the woods on the south side of the St. 

 Lawrence. It is most often found on rich, rather low moist 

 ground, with underlying rocks or gravel. It becomes a 

 fine, large tree about as useful as either of the preceding, 

 species, and undoubtedly generally mistaken for them. It 

 is best distinguished from them by its more leathery, lesser- 

 lobed leaves, which are usually velvety downy on the 

 under side, by its longer-stalked fruit, and especially by the 

 old bark of the branches splitting in the direction of the 

 branch and curling up in thin flakes along the branches. 



Quercus rubra, the Red Oak. appears to be the only spe- 

 cies of the Black Oak group, having bristle-pointed leaves 

 and requiring two years to mature fruit — -which occurs in 



