JULY, 1902. BliU^'CKEX — STUDIES IX PLANT DISTUllU TIOX, 147 
meets for the first time with Juniperus Virginia jia. The red cedar 
trees are nearly all comparatively young, and usually occupy 
places where the oak forest has been removed and a heath taken 
its place. In this region, also, the first traces of the pecukar 
formation locally known as ''openings," are met with. These sa- 
vanna-like areas are, or were iDcfore settlement, very conspicuous 
features of the Rock River Valley and the territory to the west 
and south. An area of this kind of small extent, is found on the 
east side of Lower Nemahbin Lake. On a steep slope with west- 
ern exposures grow about fifty old burr oaks. None are higher 
than twenty feet, those at the uppermost places being the small- 
est. Their average diameters are about twelve inches. They 
branch very low and have broad, spreading crowns. Notwith- 
standing their small size it is evident from their bark and general 
appearance that they are very old. They stand so far apart that 
their branches do not touch. The ground is covered with a dense 
sward of Poa, which in 1901 had the upper third of the slope ex- 
clusively to itself, aside from a few insignificant patches of a small 
moss that is usually found on Poa heaths. Farther down hill, 
there were colonies of Antennaria plantaginifolia and Hedcoma 
pulegioidcs. The latter was most conspicuous in spots where 
dry leaves had accumulated and driven off the grass. Here were 
also a few seedlings of Popiilns tremiiJoidcs and Juniperus vir- 
giniana. At the foot of the hill, immediately on the water's edge, 
there are a few basswood and American elm trees, with several 
seedlings. The northern slope of this hill has instead of the open- 
ing the hemixerophytic thicket commonly found in similar locali- 
ties. The opening here described is not a typical one. L^sually 
the oaks are of considerable size, while here they show decided 
dwarfishness. Apparently the steepness of the slope together with 
the westerly exposure, which cause long and powerful in'^olation, 
have made the conditions of life exceedingly hard here. But the 
arrival of seedlings of aspen and cedar undoubtedly foreshadows 
the future conversion of even this unfavorable locality into a 
thicket such as is found on the north side of the hill. 
Like all of the southeastern portions of Wisconsin, the district 
under discussion shows very great traces of the influence of man. 
The almost continuous forest originally covering the land has 
been cleared away, until now only isolated patches remain. The 
hilly character of the Kettle Range country has preserved a larger 
portion of that part of the territory under forest cover than is the 
case towards the east. But even here many steep scopes, quite 
unfit for agriculture, have been denuded. On such slopes a suc- 
cession of formations takes place, very similar to the historv of 
like areas in Milwaukee County as described above, yet differing 
