INTRODUCTION. 3 
“The sandy or stony drift of many river valleys in this section supports a 
heavy growth of oak, frequently interspersed with walnut and hickory, while 
the margins of the streams, and the neighboring swamps, abound in soft 
maples, swamp and chestnut oak, white and black ash, elm, hackberry, 
sycamore, butternut, and similar trees. Willows, dogwoods, viburnums, 
and buttonbush, are common shrubs in the swamps; and hazel, hawthorn, 
wild cherry and plum, June berry, witch-hazel, etc., are abundant on the 
dryer ground. 
“On the uplands, and away from streams, clay, loam, and a peculiar black 
muck soil supersede the sands and gravels of the valleys. The prevailing 
timber here is beech and maple and oak forest in about equal proportions. 
Beech and maple generally grow together, forming magnificent forests of 
great extent. The best wheat farms are usually found on uplands, near 
streams, where the oak timber gradually shades into beech and maple. 
Plains of fertile sand covered with a low or scattering growth of oak (oak 
openings) are frequent, and always very desirable for farming purposes. 
“Marshes densely covered with tamarack are common in this part of the 
state, and nourish in their thick shade such plants as Drosera rotundifolia, 
Sarracenia purpurea, Rhus venenata, Ribes rubrum, Chiogenes hispidula, 
Salix candida, Smilacina trifolia, Pogonia ophioglossoides and Calopogon 
pulchellus. Arbor-vitae, red cedar and black spruce are comparatively rare. 
“ A similar tract of soil and timber occurs in the upper end of the peninsula, 
north of a line drawn from Thunder Bay west to the head of Grand Traverse 
Bay. This is commonly known as the ‘Traverse Region,’ and has a flora 
much like that we have just described, with the exception that some of the 
southern species disappear, and northern ones begin to take their place, or 
if found growing further south, here first become frequent. Deep forests 
of hemlock and yellow birch (B. lutea) mixed with a fine, tall growth of 
striped maple (A. Pennsylvanicum) are frequent, having underneath a 
tangled growth of Taxus baccata, var. Canadensis, and under all a carpet 
of Lycopodium annotinum. Alternating with these are sandy plains covered 
with a dense growth of Vacciniums, yielding a great abundance of fruit. 
Sugar maples and basswood are also abundant in this region, and reach an 
immense size. In fact, it would be difficult to find finer groves of maple 
in any part of the state. 
“The pine country proper lies between the two tracts we have described, 
and embraces about 15,000 square miles. It is composed largely of sand hills 
and plains, either scantily furnished with vegetation, or densely covered with 
pine forest. Argillaceous tracts wooded with beech and maple also occur, 
like oases in a desert; and swamps abound, with the usual lowland timber. 
Forests of hemlock spruce are frequent, and there are occasional ridges of 
oak. Birch (B. lutea) also begins to be a common forest tree, and attains 
a large size. The usual timber of the barrens is Jack Pine (P. Banksiana). 
Climatic and other influences have combined to produce groves composed 
entirely of this species of large size and of great beauty, for, instead of being 
‘a, straggling shrub, or low tree’ (Gray), it rises, often 50-60 feet, straight 
and symmetrical. All through this region Pinus strobus (white pine) is the 
prevailing species and furnishes most of the lumber, but P. resinosa (red 
pine) is frequent as far south as Clare county, and occurs sparingly in the 
northern part of Isabella county, which appears to be its southern limit. 
“Such is the general character of the sylva down to about latitude 43°, 
but in the western part of the state, owing perhaps to moister climate, or 
to favorable soil, hemlock spruce is more abundant, and reaches much farther 
