60 



MARINE AND FISHERIES 



6-7 EDWARD VII., A. 1907 



a heiglit of three feet above the ground!. Spruce and fir trees, only a few feet in 

 height, produce thick, strong trunks to resist the winter gales to which they are ex- 

 posed, and furnish a suitable shelter around their base for a few lowly forms such as 

 the Twin-flower (Linncea horealis, L.) and the little wintergreen (Pyrola secunda 

 yumila. Gray.) The prostrate form of the Juniper (Juniperus nana, Willd), the 

 Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum, L.) and two species of cranberries are exceedingly 

 abundant, where suitable ecological conditions prevail. In exposed situations, where 

 other plants are often wanting, the three-toothed cinque-foil (Potentilla tridentata. 

 Ait.) often covers the surface and continues flowering during the whole summer. Por- 

 tions of many of the bogs are brilliant with the pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea, 

 L.) or with the two beautiful orchids Limodorum tuberosum, L., and Arethusa hulhosa, 

 L. The Baked-Apple Berry (Ruhus Chamcemorus, L.) is also exceedingly abundant. 

 The bogs are covered with various species of Sphagnum, whilst a few native grasses, 

 intermingled with imported species, form a thick sward, wherever sufficient soil exists 

 to secure a foothold. 



3. The exceedingly small number of introduced weeds in the town and the neigh- 

 bouring districts is another striking peculiarity. No large areas occur covered with 

 buttercups (Ranunculus acris, L.) or Dandelions, as in many districts in the 

 Dominion. Even thistles are confined to a very few exceedingly limited spots. Only 

 a single specimen of Senecio Jacohcea, L. (the stinking Willie of Pictou), which is 

 such a pest to the farmers in some other localities, especially in the county of Pictou, 

 was seen during the whole season. The sheep sorrel (Rumex Acetosella, L.) so abun- 

 dant elsewhere was difficult to find'. In a small patch of wheat near Hazel Hill — the 

 only patch seen in the neighbourhood, the common Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis, 

 L.) had found a temporary foothold, having been sown, no doubt, with the grain. The 

 Ox-eye Daisy {Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum L.) and the Plantain (Plantago 

 major, L.) were probably the most abundant of the introduced weeds. The field 

 mustard (Brassica arvensis, L.) which has taken possession of many farms in 

 Ontario, was only conspicuous by its almost complete absence. 



CAUSES OF THE SMALL NUMBER OF SPECIES. 



The existence of these peculiarities naturally suggests inquiry into the causes to 

 which they owe their existence. The following seem to be the most influential factors 

 producing the present condition of the vegetation: — 



1. ^ A very high authority on the natural sources of our Dominion once ex- 

 plained to Lord Lansdowne, in answer to an inquiry, that the chief industry of Cana- 

 dians was the destruction of forests.'* The early settlers were compelled by force of 

 circumstances to fell the forests to procure materials for buildings, and also for fuel. 

 Fires are always necessary for the clearing of land, and generally spread over the 

 whole area where brush or fallen trees furnish combustible supplies. Where the soil 

 is thin, or consists of humus produced by decaying vegetation, the whole surface may 

 be destroyed, and only bare rock remain where a dense forest growth had previously 

 existed. At the present time, whenever a young tree attains sufficient size to be 

 of any service for any purpose it is immediately cut down and removed. The destruc- 

 tion of the trees necessarily involves the destruction of all the species of plants that 

 ^^row under their shade, and of all the mosses, lichens and fungi that find a congenial 

 home on their trunks and roots. The exposure of the rocky surfaces to the fierce 

 winds of winter prevent the growth of even the lowest forms of vegetation, except in 

 sheltered situations. These facts account for the small number of native species 

 occurring in the neighbourhood. 



2. Very little cultivated land exists in the neighbourhood of the town. A few 

 grass fields on the glacial mounds, and a very limited number of gardens, constitute 



* W. H. iMuldrew, Sylvan, Ontario, p. 3. 



