SOIL FORMATION: MOORS. 391 



grasses like eriophorum, with its white tufts sparkling in the 

 sunlight like a firmament of stars, shrubs like cassandra, pyrus, 

 nemopanthes, etc., support one in walking above the water which 

 rises in the intervening spaces. Sphagnum, polytrichum, and 

 other mosses grow, especially in the stools of the other plants, 

 where they now are shaded by the larger growth, and in drier 

 seasons catch the water which trickles down during rain. 



Years ago the forest encroached on this formation, and trees of 

 the hemlock -spruce, black spruce, larch, etc., of considerable size 

 gained a footing, first along the margin, then along the more ele- 

 vated zone a short distance within. The black spruce trees spread 

 all over the center of the formation, attaining a height of one to 

 six or eight meters, while the trees of the marginal zone where they 

 first entered, and the ground is somewhat more elevated, attained 

 a much greater height. 



704. Fall of the trees on the marginal zone when the wind 

 break was removed. — These large trees of the marginal zone, 

 though they were rooted to a great extent in loose soil, never- 

 theless were protected from winds by the forests on the sur- 

 rounding hills. When, however, these hills on three sides were 

 cleared for cultivation the wind had full sweep, and many of 

 the large trees were uprooted by the force of the gales. This 

 view is supported by the fact that the western hill is still covered 

 by forest, and large spruce trees of the marginal zone are still 

 standing, though several were uprooted September, 1896, during 

 a fierce southeastern gale, the wind from this direction having 

 full play upon them. 



705. Dying of the spruce of the central area. — This re- 

 moval of the forests from the surrounding hills very likely had 

 its influence in hastening the melting of the winter snows on the 

 hills, so that excessive quantities of water from this source rushed 

 quickly down into the swamp, flooding it at certain seasons 

 much higher than the normal high-water mark during former 

 times, when the hills were forest-covered. Also during rains 

 the water would now rush quickly down into the swamp, flood- 

 ing it at these times. This greater quantity of water has had its 



