is the outcome of the submerged conditions under which these trees grow. Moreover, the enlarged sections of the trunks of Taxodium distichum are traversed by sharp, prominent ridges which serve in part to distinguish them from T. imbricarium, in which the ridges are more rounded. The knees of T. distichum growing in this part of Dismal Swamp are not pronounced-not more than two feet above the surface of the ground or water. These organs rise vertically from the roots and supply the underground parts with air, since swamp soils are poor in oxygen. The wood of this tree is used for shingles. It splits readily; is strong and durable; is soft when green and hard when dry. The water of Lake Drummond, and that which flows out of the swamp, is colored and tinctured by the cypress, the leaves of the gum and other decaying vegetation. In its deep amber waters objects are reflected with startling accuracy. All that is above the surface is doubled, all that is below is unseen. The water has a slightly bitter taste and was believed to possess fine medicinal properties and to keep pure for a long time, for ships bound for distant countries filled their casks with it. The banks of both the Feeder and Dismal Swamp Canal are so high as to cut off the view from the boat. Only at the Upper Dam, the Great Lock, and one or two other places can clearings be seen without landing. In these spots the farming prospect seems forlorn enough. Weeds are plentiful, many of them such as are found in the north. The half-mile of the Feeder which extends between Lake Drummond and the dam is exceedingly narrow and deep. Only a rowboat can be used here. Acer rubrum and Salix nigra grow along the banks and send their roots out into the water, their trunks and branches bend towards each other across the stream, forming a dense canopy through which no sunbeam penetrates. It is difficult to find a landing place in this part of the canal, because of tangled roots in one place and slime and mud in another. Yet back of this confused mass of vegetation is the characteristic growth of the swamp. Herbaceous plants are few. Lizard's tail (Saururus cernuus) and jewel-weed (Impatiens biflora), are common, however; the latter growing in every available location. Woody plants form these forests. Tall, branchless sour gum (Nyssa biflora), straight as the mast of a ship, grow to the height of 60 feet to 80 feet, where in the open sunshine they send out a thick mass of foliage. These trees grow close together and with them are a few cypresses (T. distichum), and tall tulip poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera). Red maple (Acer rubrum), black willow (Salix nigra), willow oak (Quercus phellos) and elm (Ulmus americana) are abundant, while button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), sweet pepper bush (Clethra alnifolia) and elder (Sambucus canadensis) grow along the margins of the forests broken hedges. The number and variety of woody vines is remarkable. In a space by no means as large as a city square were found: Smilax (Laurifolia), (rotundifolia), (Walteri); poison ivy (Rhus radicans); trumpet creeper (Tecoma radicans); coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), in bloom; grapevine (Vitis rotundifolia); supplejack (Berchemia scandens); Virginia creeper (Ampelopsis quinquefolia); jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens), in bloom; cross-vine (Bignonia capreolata). These vines climb to the tops of the smaller trees, where they hang in festoons of leaves and blossoms. Both vines and trees send up arched roots which make walking very difficult, especially where the ground is spongy. A much greater variety of plants can be seen along that section of the feeder which extends from the dam to the large canal. For more than a mile, red maple (Acer rubrum) is the predominant tree, but with it grow sour gum (Nyssa biflora); tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera); sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua); wild black cherry (Prunus serotina); white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides); an occasional cypress (Taxodium distichum) or loblolly pine (Pinus taeda); papaw (Asimina triloba), Salix nigra, S. fluviatilis, and willow oak (Quercus phellos); magnolia (Magnolia virginiana); holly (Ilex opaca); laurel (Kalmia latifolia), and other thick evergreen, laurel-shaped, glossy leaved plants give these woodlands a very characteristic appearance. From the water's edge grow sweet pepper bush (Clethra alnifolia), elder (Sambucus canadensis), and chokeberry (Pyrus arbutifolia), in bloom. On the banks between the bushes are such ferns as Onoclea sensibilis, Osmunda cinnamomea, Osmunda regalis and Asplenium ebeneum. blanda grows in scattered clumps, while a tiny yellow Krigia adds a bit of color to the slope. Rubus trivialis grows luxuriantly. Viola Nearer the main canal the red maple is replaced by Pinus taeda, with its characteristic undergrowth of sweet magnolia (Magnolia virginiana); inkberry (Ilex glabra); Ilex lucida; laurel (Kalmia latifolia); waxberry (Myrica carolinensis), in bloom; oak (Quercus Margaretta); highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), in bloom; Leucothoë racemosa, in bloom; Xolisma ligustrina; Pyrus arbutifolia, in bloom; dogwood (Cornus florida), in bloom. Along the edge of the pines Specularia perfoliata; Ascyrum hype- | canadensis, past bloom; Pinus taeda, scattered; ricoides, in bloom; Antennaria neglecta; Ado- Rhus radicans; Smilax rotundifolia; violets, pogon carolinianum. mustards, and wild rose. The banks of the Dismal Swamp Canal are less beautiful than those of the feeder. In some places, the dredged-out earth has been thrown up on the banks and is still uncovered. Yet all the plants seen in the more typical sections are to be found here in the open, often growing in wild and attractive confusion. The one conspicuous flowering herbaceous plant of this part of the country at this time of the year is Senecio tomentosus, it is everywhere. Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), too, is abundant, and Lonicera japonica clambers rankly over bush and bank. Alder (Alnus rugosa), Iva frutescens, Sassafras, Paper mulberry (Broussonetia), trees not found by the lake, are seen here. The most ubiquitous plant of the region, found along the Feeder as well as along the Canal and Deep Creek is the great cane (Arundinaria macrosperma) in which negroes, escaped from slavery, sometimes hid before and during the Civil War. With the cane mingle dense growths of grasses and sedges, which alone cover the banks of the Elizabeth River near Norfolk, with an occasional Azalea (in bloom) or a rose mallow in the dis tance. Cape Henry. About 20 miles to the east of Norfolk, as far from it as is the Great Dismal Swamp in a southwest direction, is a district of entirely different aspect-a large area of mobile sand, acres in extent, which juts out between the Ocean and the On the plain, on the windward side of the dune is a typical loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) formation with Pinus taeda as the predominant tree, and as undergrowth; Myrica carolinensis, in bloom; Prunus serotina, in bloom; Vaccinium corymbosum, in bloom; Salix fluviatitis, in bloom; Ilex opaca ; Persea pubescens; Quercus nigra; Quercus virginiana; Vitis rotundifolia; Rhus radicans; Ampelopsis quinquefolia; Gelsemium sempervirens, in bloom. The great dune which rises between these forests truly merits its name "the desert," since on its barren, windswept crest, in far scattered clumps the Ammophila arenaria alone finds sustenance. The smaller torn and shattered dunes along its base and stretching outward are progressively covered with more and more vegetation as they near the sea. Here is one topped with Panicum amarum, there another is more securely anchored by Myrica and lianes later to be torn apart by buffeting forces, roots exposed, leaves and branches buried, and perhaps some long-covered pine brought to the light again. This is a region of changes. That which exists today may be destroyed tomorrow, and that which is a restless mass of sand may be captured by some truant log, rounded into a mound and covered with characteristic vegetation. Forests of the War Zones. OST of the war zones on the continent of Bay, constituting what is known as Cape Henry M Europe lie in more or less forested regions. Between the lighthouse on its outermost point and Broad Bay an inlet which almost severs this district from the mainland, may be seen sand formations in every stage of building and of ruin. By far the most impressive of these dunes is a vast accumulation of fine sand of unusual breadth, sloping gently upward from the plain along the sea, and descending abruptly on the lee to a forest of lofty trees which it rivals or exceeds in height. Over this forest it is marching inch by inch. Already it has engulfed many of its members, as can be seen from the straggling tops and branches which project above the surface, and in many in- The total amount of damage already done by stances still bear leaves and blossoms. At the or because of the warring armies must be enorbase in the swampland grow those trees and vines mous. Authentic and complete reports concernalready noted in Dismal Swamp. Cypress (Tax-ing the nature and extent of the damage are still odium distichum), with staminate catkins; sour gum (Nyssa biflora); red maple (Acer rubrum); bay (Persea pubescens); sweet pepper bush (Clethra alnifolia); Leucothoë racemosa, in bloom; chokeberry (Pyrus arbutifolia) in bloom; highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), in bloom; inkberry (Ilex glabra); Amelanchier Some of the lines of contact between the, contending armies pass through or by forests which have been under careful management for a century or more. The presence of forests in such immediate proximity to battle lines implies excessive damage and in some cases complete destruction. A few forests, such as the Argonne, may become well known because of the part they played in the war, but a much larger number will not only lose their forestal fame, but their identity, and in extreme cases their very existence. wanting, and no doubt will not be available until some time after the war. No one is prepared to state exactly how great the damage now is, or will be at the close of the war. Nevertheless, the very nature and intensity of the conflict, concerning which fairly complete and credible reports are available, causes one to believe that the damage is not only large in amount but in particular localities almost, if not entirely, irreparable. Many and varied are the factors which enter into a consideration of the total amount of damage done. Two groups, however, stand out prominently above all the rest. They are: (1) the prevalence and condition of the forests at the beginning of the war, and (2) the severity and mobility of the conflict. These two groups of factors have very few points in common along the three main battle fronts; viz: the western front in France and Belgium, the eastern front in western Russia, eastern Prussia and Galicia, and the southeastern front in the eastern Alps and the Balkan states. The forest conditions along these three main fronts differ just as widely as the military operations now in progress along them. It is not the object of this article to discuss the military operations concerning which our daily papers and periodical publications give us ample and fairly authentic information, but rather to describe the condition, prevalence, and economic significance of the forests embraced within the destructive clutches of this gigantic and prolonged struggle. The writer traveled afoot-prior to the outbreak of war-over large areas of rural Europe, particularly the heavily forested portion, and in a few instances traversed the very spots now dissected with tortuous lines of trenches. It is difficult, even for one having been upon the ground, to picture the transformation that is taking place. Today bare, unproductive, and eruptive areas indistinctly mark the sites of former fertile field and finished forests. Forests were common in the western war zone, embracing a part of northern France and almost all of Belgium, when the conflict began, and showed evidence of careful management that must have extended back at least fifty years and in some cases a full century. Belgium alone had 1,290,000 acres of productive forest land valued at $100,000,000. The province of Namur, in which such heavy fighting took place shortly after the beginning of the war had 31 per cent of its total area wooded. The forests of Belgium were among the most productive of Europe before the war, yielding 1.7 cords per acre and year. Since the war began this area has not only been considerably reduced in acreage, but what is more lamentable the remaining forests have lost all the "earmarks" of that careful management which characterized them in the past. That the people of Belgium will feel the loss of their clean, attractive, productive, and wellorganized forests is most certainly true. The small forest acreage in proportion to the popula tion-only two-tenths of an acre per inhabitant— and the industrial conditions, recommended an intensive management of all areas suitable for the growth of trees. The native forests in spite of their high productivity-1.7 cords per acre and year-yielded only a small portion of the total amount of wood consumed by this most densely populated civilized country-660 inhabitants per square mile. About $28,500,000 worth of wood was imported annually, some of it coming from the United States. For many years the demand for wood has been so great that every square foot of ground not required for other more important purposes has been used for the production of this much-needed product. About 84,000 cords were obtained annually from trees bordering roads and canals. These trees, however, did much more than yield wood, for they made the thoroughfares attractive and comfortable, and in some instances produced choice fruit. Few countries could boast of such inviting and distinctive highways, byways and waterways as Belgium before the war. These attractive and useful avenues of communication helped, in a measure, to satisfy and solidify its citizenry, and develop a pardonable patriotic pride in its soldiers. The kind of forest ownership that prevailed in Belgium at the outbreak of the war presents a sad aspect. Private individuals and small communities owned 93.8 per cent of the total area, the state and institutions owning the remaining 6.2 per cent. The loss under such a decentralized form of ownership is certainly felt much more keenly than in countries such as Germany where the several states own 31.9 per cent and private individuals only 46.5 per cent, the remainder belonging to the crown, communities, municipalities, and institutions. When one thinks how slowly forests grow and how difficult it is to reconstruct them, one's pity naturally goes forth not only to the altruistic and beneficent people who were building them up, but also to the oncoming generations for whom they were being developed. A rich heritage for subsequent generations was in the process of development, but the sudden onrush of an enraged neighbor with no respect for property or posterity, and the necessary destructive activities of the defenders of the homeland, soon converted this prospective heritage into acres of desolation. The forests of northern France differ little from those of Belgium in condition, composition and ownership. The hardwoods-chiefly oak and beech-comprise from 70 to 80 per cent of the total. total. Scotch pine, the leading conifer, was limited to the poorer soils which locally comprised rather extensive areas. In the region south of STAND OF SCOTCH PINE PLANTED 32 YEARS AGO. Over 100,000 acres of waste land south of Rheims, France, have been planted with Scotch pine since 1830, mostly by private owners. It is also the prevailing tree in eastern Prussia and western Russia, forming very extensive pure stands. MOTHER AND SON PLANTING SCOTCH PINE SEEDLINGS. This small privately-owned patch of land was spaded garden-fashion by the wife and son of the owner. The seedlings were purchased from a local forester at $1.50 per thousand. Little branches of Scotch pine, saved from a previous cutting operation and shown on heaps, were stuck into the ground alongside of the tiny one-year old seedlings to protect them from browsing animals, drought, and sun-scald. |