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and variety of the roadside plants. However, the most important 

 factor is the great variety of the conditions of environment. 

 Some localities are sandy and desolate, others hilly and rocky. 

 The roads pass through long stretches of rich woodlands, up 

 beautiful valleys, past ponds, lakes and boffs. in short almost 

 every condition of environment possible in this climate is found 

 along these roads. In altitude the region varies from seven 

 hundred to one thousand five hundred feet above sea level. 



I besran my observations at Newport, a village on the West 

 Canada creek, about fifteen miles north of Herkimer. Here, 

 where the road runs close to the creek bank, I noticed in great 

 abundance close to the water's edffe, the Joint Grass (Equisetum 

 liitorale). Along the White creek road, a few miles east are 

 several outcropping ledges of Trenton limestone. Here I found 

 the Brittle fern (Cystopteris fragilis, f. magnasora) , the Bladder 

 fern (C. bulbifera), and the Walking fern (Camptosorus rhizo- 

 phyllus) in abundance with occasional specimens of the Maiden- 

 hair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) and the Poly- 

 pody (Polypodium vulgare). Some distance north of New- 

 port the road passes through a lowland area which in places 

 is swampy. Here the roadside was banked with great patches of 

 the New York fern (Nephr odium Noveboraccnse) , the common 

 Wood fern (N. spinulosum intermedium) and Dicksonia pilosi- 

 uscula, while here and there I noticed clumps of all three of the 

 flowering ferns, Osmunda regalis, 0. cinnamomca and O. Clay- 

 toniana; the last, frequently called the Interrupted fern, was less 

 common than the others. A closer examination of the banks 

 brought to light the Maiden-hair fern. Upon alluvial soil near 

 by I found some fine clumps of that fern so aptly called the 

 Ostrich fern (Struthiopteris Germanica) . Beside the road in 

 more swampy places the sensitive fern (Onoclca sensibilis), and 

 the Marsh fern (Nephrodium Thclypteris) were very abundant, 

 and grew close up to the wagon track. Upon rocky or sandy 

 roadside banks between the towns of Norway and Gray, I fre- 

 quently saw patches of the Long Beech fern (Pliegopteris poly- 

 podioides). This is as near the central part of New York state 

 as I have ever found this species of fern, though it may possibly 

 be found in other places throughout Central New York. From 

 Norway north and along the Fulton chain of lakes this fern is 

 not rare. North of Gray and around the little village of Ohio, the 



