1865.] Science in British Nortli America. 141 



the south-western peninsula of Canada, there is a luxuriant vege- 

 tation, largely composed of species which belong especially to the 

 States, and including the tulip tree, the black walnut, the occidental 

 plane, and several little Southern forms. Amongst the cultivated plants, 

 are peaches, vines, tobacco, Indian corn, wheat, potatoes, kidney- 

 beans, and pumpkins. The characteristic trees of Upper Canada are 

 the beech, maples, several species of oak, ash, and birch, hickories, iron- 

 wood, bluebark, butternut, pines, hackmatack, cedars (white and red), 

 hemlock, balsam fir, poplars, and wild cherries. The true American 

 flora, which is a continental one, is found best represented along the 

 southern and south-western frontier of Canada ; it decreases towards the 

 Atlantic seaboard. There are many examples of it in Nova Scotia, but 

 here there is a much greater preponderance of northern species than in 

 corresponding latitudes in Canada. In Western Canada, many of the 

 plants, common in Nova Scotia, are either entirely northern, or are con- 

 fined to the great swamps, whose effect on the distribution of species is 

 thus seen to be considerable. There are numerous examples of the 

 Arctic or Scandinavian Flora in the northern and eastern parts of 

 Canada, and still more in the Hudson's Bay territory. Allusion was 

 made to the fact that there is a remarkable sameness in the plants 

 associated with boulders in different parts of the country. 



Chemistry. — Dr. E. J. Chapman, in a note read before the Canadian 

 Institute, after referring to the discrepancies to be found in comparing 

 various accounts of the blowpipe flame of iron wire, states that a 

 bright green flame is given out by all the light-coloured and com- 

 paratively hard wires, whilst the soft and dark wires fuse much less 

 readily, and cause no coloration. He found the cause to lie in the 

 former containing a minute quantity of phosphorus. This is an im- 

 portant point, as iron-wire is often used in blowpipe experiments as a 

 re-agent for phosphoric acid. 



The mineral springs of Wilmot, N.S., have been analyzed by 

 Professor How, who has given the results to the Nova Scotian Insti- 

 tute. These waters have obtained some reputation in the Province, 

 and also in the United States ; and are said to be remarkably effi- 

 cacious in curing cutaneous eruptions. They occur in a district of 

 the New Eed Sandstone formation. One analysis gave the following 

 results : — 



Contents of the water of the smaller basin in 70,000 grains, or one 

 imperial gallon. 









Grains. 



Carbonate of lime . . . . 2 70 



Carbonate of magnesia 







0-37 



Carbonate of iron . 







•14 



Sulphate of lime 







121-98 



Sulphate of soda 







8-35 



Sulphate of magnesia 







5-35 



Chloride of potassium 







l-i0 



Silica 







0-55 



Phosphoric acid 







traces 



Organic matter 







traces 



141 0i 



