Stout—Vegetation of a Typical Wild Hay Meadow . 455 
eral characteristics most nearly with those described by Lewis, 
by Yapp, and by Smith as occurring in various parts of Great 
Britain, also with Warming’s meadow moor of northern Europe, 
and a type described by Bailer and Wilk as present in Austria. 
Lack of data as to frequency and abundance of the species 
which make up the population of these European marsh 
meadows make detailed comparisons impossible. For a more 
complete understanding of the principles determining the vege¬ 
tation of the marsh meadow’ it is of fundamental importance 
that we should have more exact data concerning the geographical 
distribution of marsh meadows, the range of variations in the 
composition and vigor of the plant population and the corella- 
tion of these facts with the geographical, edaphic and biological 
factors that are of influence. 
Summary. 
The habitat of this wild hay meadow is that of a nearly level 
and poorly drained marsh with a peaty surface stratum. 
The vegetation is prevailingly of sedges and grasses of which 
Carex stricta and Calamagrostis canadensis are dominant 
species. 
There is a marked grouping of species with few species in 
the wetter portions and a more complex grouping on the higher 
and drier portions. 
The vegetation is strongly northern and eastern. 
Species of southern range have gained a foothold in the 
border and drier portions and are recent arrivals. 
The differences which exist in the anatomy and the vegetation 
habit of the various species do not adequately explain their dis¬ 
tribution. 
The results of the experiments indicate that the height of the 
water table is not an important factor in determining the dis¬ 
tribution of the plants growing on this marsh meadow. 
The meadow is w 7 ell advanced toward a natural grass meadow 
with recognized greater hay values than the pure sedge 
meadows. 
The utilization and improvement of this class of meadow 
lands is a question of considerable economic importance. 
