53 



Iier of trees in that neighborhood. The black smoke killed them off. I was 

 reminded of the hills about Pittsburg, which, as some of yon may have seen, 

 are denuded of trees on account of the smoke. The same thing is seen 

 about some of the western smelters, where vegetation may be killed for 

 miles, and poisonous deposits, especially of arsenic and copi^er, cover vegeta- 

 tion for a still greater area. 



From the roundhouse I walked along the Wabash river, still looking 

 for plants. The river is shallow and has a limestone bottom. Once or 

 twice a year there is high water and that means to wash out everytliing 

 loose before it. Seed brouglit down may lodge along the banks, especially 

 at the flood lines, and every now and then new plants may be found. Some 

 may grow near the water, but the next flood is very apt to wash them out. 

 There are no gravel banks and some plants characteristic of other places 

 are absent, as, for instance, plants found along the "White Water 'river, 

 where I used to collect, such as Saponaria officinalis, Polanisia graveolens 

 and Cuphea viscosissima. The former, however, is to be seen more and 

 more frequently above high water mark ; the second, Polanisia graveolens, 

 is occasionallj- seen; but I have not seen Cuphea at all.. 



Leaving the river I went west along the Wabash railway. This at 

 first runs oil a liigh fill with gravelly sides, later becoming level and prairie- 

 like. Here in the course of time I have found a number of adventive 

 plants, both European weeds ,and western species, the latter as a rule lasting 

 only a season or two and then disappearing. Lower down I crossed tlie 

 river on the railway bridge and followed up the Vandalia traclv northward. 

 This runs over a deep fill. At one place the steep embankment was cov- 

 ered witli cinders. I was immediately reminded of tlie cinder and lava 

 slopes of Vesuvius. I was not at all surprised to see only a single plant 

 growing among the cinders, the sheep sorrel. At once my trip up the 

 Vesuvius came vividly to mind. I had gone up on horseback with three 

 companions and a guide. At first we passed through towns and highly 

 cultivated fields, but we gradually loft these behind and came to a desert 

 region of black cinders and lava, going upward all the time. Finally al! 

 vegetation disajijieared, liie last ])lnnt to disa]tpear being sheep sor- 

 rel. On the descent I made a collection of i»l;ints, beginning with the 

 lirst (iiic to re-appt':ii'. Rniiicx'. Next came a shrubby Siiarfinm. (iradnally 



1 Whether the siiccies is acclosclla or seutatus I do not know. My Kalian 

 botany, moreover, spei:^ks of q. vq.riety under tlie last species that grows among vol- 

 canic scorise. 



