I am glad to learn from the February Monthly that some one in Europe has noted the fact that the aspen sprung up on the burnt lands in Russia, as this will bring it to the notice of American writers on forestry, while my notes on the same subject would be likely to pass unnoticed. I called attention to this matter mainly to show the great damage that is being inflicted on the country by forest fires covering land with this worthless tree, that would in time produce valuable timber if the fires were kept out. There is nothing to excite wonder in this tree being found occupying the burnt lands in this country and Europe, at least not to you or me; as its habits, or rather its seeds, are adapted to this purpose more than that of other trees, and while its seeds are distributed freely over both burnt and unburnt forest lands, their nature is such that they can only germinate in the fire-burnt soil or in moist ground and in swamps, and it is reasonable to suppose that if there had been no forest fires this tree would have been confined entirely to moist land.

I think many of our writers have not given this matter of seeds the attention it deserves. What they call swamp trees are, many of them, well adapted for growing on high lands, but the seeds are of such a nature that they will not germinate on high lands in the natural forests.

The willows, the elms, the silver and red maples and numerous trees are only found on the borders of streams or in moist lands, while under cultivation they make an excellent growth on upland. They grow in moist places only, because the seeds could not germinate anywhere else. I think it is a wise provision of nature, for if the seeds of many of these trees could germinate naturally all over the high lands they would be a detriment to the more valuable kinds. Fortunately, the aspen is a small tree, and not very lasting, so that more valuable trees can in time recover their lost ground gradually. This also is a fact quite noticeable to any who travel extensively through the woods with their eyes open. But even one generation is a matter of some consequence to us, and it will take more than one generation for the valuable woods to "run out "the aspens on the high lands in the most extensive burnt districts.