The Flora of the Cayuga Lake Basin 449 



" Not many years after Peter Kalm, Professor of (Economy at the University of 

 Aobo in Swedish Finland, a friend of Linnaeus, was sent over by the Swedish govern- 

 ment, to collect seeds and plants for the gardens and herbaria of that country. He 

 collected extensively in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Canada from 

 1748 till his return in 1751. During 1750 he made a journey 'along the Mohawk to 

 the Iroquois nations, where he got acquainted with the Mohawks, Oneidas, Tus- 

 caroras, Onondagas and Kayugaws.' His 'Travels into North America,' were pub- 

 lished soon after his return and translated into English in 1772; but while he gives 

 minute accounts of some of his experiences, his journey to, and life among the Six 

 Nations is scarcely touched upon in these volumes. His collections which were very 

 valuable went very largely into the Linnaean Herbarium, now in England. 



"Frederick Pursh, another European explorer, passed through Ithaca in 1807. He 

 left a record of his journey, which was overlooked until 1868, when it came to light 

 in Philadelphia among some papers in the possession of the Amer. Phil. Society. 

 It was published in the Gardener's Monthly and afterward in pamphlet form. 45 

 The following literal extract from Pursh's Journal, is of some general interest, 

 but chiefly so in revealing the abundance of introduced plants even at that early day. 

 He found nothing of importance in our region. His nomenclature will seem at the 

 present time quite antiquated, and his English is somewhat broken : 



"'July 6. — [1807.]— Left Tyoga, up Cayuta Creek — Apocynum andrasaemifolium 

 very plenty in the cleared lands ; in the oak woods I observed the Lily often seen 

 before, but I cannot reccollect which species it is ; it is Lilium foliis sparsis ver- 

 ticillatisque : caulle unifloro ; floribus erectis, semipatentibus ; petalis unguiculatis. 

 The valley, formed by Cayuta Creek is in soil and vegetation similar to the beech- 

 wood. Oxalis acetosella — but not plenty — Helleborus viridis. Dracaena borealis, — 

 Orchis fimbriata in full bloom — Dalibarda violoides in fruit. The woods abount with 

 sugar-maple; The valley is in some places very narrow and the creek very winding 

 which obliged me to wate it several times to keep the road — I heartyly expected to 

 reach the house this night, which had been recommended to me, to stay at, but I dit 

 come to it before it got dark. I observed in a small run a species of Sium, as I 

 suppose, without flowres, whose leaves under the water were very fine divided and 

 the upper ones only pinnate. I call it S. heterophyllum. From a small tavern 

 whech is kept here, is about 22 miles to the head of Cayuga, which I intend to reach 

 to-morrow. 



" '7. — Having opportunity of going in company of a wagon, who would carry my 

 things, I set out early this morning. The road leads through a very romantick 

 valley, the mountains sometimes very high. After following the course of Cayuta 

 Cr. for 9 miles, we turned off to the right. 8 miles this side of Cayuga city, or 

 as it is called sometimes, Ithaca, we crossed a place very beautifully situated, called 

 Sapony Hollow ; this place has been once cleared and probably settled by Indians, but 

 it is now grown up with small, white pine very handsomely mixed with Populus tremu- 

 loides and Magnolia acuminata. The last is very scarce about here and the trees here 

 in this place and two or three others I seen are of a creeply, small and old growth, 

 nothing like to what they are in Virginia. At this place we refreshed ourselves and 

 feed the horses, as far as this I had this day travel very agreeable, as on account of 

 the roughness of the road and the deep mire holes in some places the wagon could not 

 go on as fast as I could walk, having plenty of time to look about myself, besides 

 being unincumbered with any baggage. But the road getting now good and evening 

 drawing nigh, I had to get into the wagon and we traveled tolerably fast. About 

 3 or 4 miles from Sapony Hollow, the timber changes into oak, and from there to 

 Ithaca it is all Oak timber mixed with pine, with the rest of plants similar to Tyoga 

 point. We arrived at Ithaca at night-fall. 



" '8. — Being now on the heath of Cayuga I remembered your information about 

 Erica caerulea growing on the high lands between Cayuga and Seneca lake ; I was very 



48 It was reprinted again in 1923 by the Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse, New York. 



