138 ROCHESTER ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. [Oct. 8, 



1804. — A Description of the Genesee Country in the State of New 

 York. By Robert Munro. Doc. Hist State of New York, 

 Vol. II. Albany, 1849. 

 The author mentions the most common and the most useful of the 

 forest trees, describing somewhat at length the characteristic features of the 

 soil upon which particular species grow. He speaks of the hemlock, cucum- 

 ber tree, white poplar, white and black birch, turmeric tree, spruce pine, locust 

 tree, prickly ash, spice wood, hazelnut, willow and alder as being scarce. 

 Among the plants mentioned are sassafras, ginseng, sarsaparilla, snakeroot, 

 spikenard, mandrake, etc. The Genesee flats are mentioned as cleared of 

 timber for several thousand acres, and covered with very high and thick grass. 



1804. — A View of the Present Situation of the Western Parts of the 

 State of New York, called the Genesee Country, etc., etc. 

 (Author unknown.) Fredericktown, 1804. 23 pp. 

 This pamphlet mentions the most common forest trees and their indica- 

 tion regarding character of the soil, and names a few of the noted shrubs and 

 herbs used as food or medicine. 



1809. — Map of the Military Lands of the State of New York. Doc. 

 Hist. State of New York, Vol. I. Albany, 1849. 

 Gives location of the " Big Tree " on the Genesee river. 



1816. — Travels in Canada and the United States in 1816 and 1817. 

 By Lieut. Francis Hall. London, 1818. 

 The writer describes Rochester, saying that the vicinity is still an 

 unbroken forest, consisting of oak, hickory, ash, beech, bass, elm and walnut. 

 Speaks of a black walnut tree "betwixt the town and the great fall, 24 feet in 

 its girth". Speaks of Allen's creek, near Caledonia, with its banks adorned 

 with natural groves and copses, in which he observed the " candleberry 

 myrtle" in great abundance. 



1816. — Travels through the Western Country in the Summer of 1816. 

 By David Thomas. Auburn, 1819. 

 This author mentions many of the trees and plants of this region, and 

 notes the relations of the geological features to the distribution of the flora. 

 We quote some of his observations. "As we approach the Genesee river oak 

 and chestnut appear on the hills, but in the moist rich lands to the eastward 

 the latter is very rare. Fences of considerable extent have been made from 

 white cedar, which is procured in the swamps. It is not that of West Jersey 

 {Ciipressus thyoides), which it greatly resembles in the grain of the wood, 

 but the Thuya occidentalis ". " The road was bordered by many detached 

 patches of poisonous hemlock {Cicuta i?iaculata) ". He speaks of the stunted 

 white oaks growing on the limestone foundation between the Genesee river 

 and Caledonia, and notes that two miles beyond the latter place beech and 

 maple become the principal timber. He speaks of noticing the papaw 

 {Annona triloba) eight miles from Erie, and says that he had not discovered it 

 in any other part of the State of New York ; from which we suppose that he 



