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THE BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF G. W.
CLINTON |
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THE
BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF G. W. CLINTON – September 1863 |
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[1863] Sept. 1. Tuesday. We take the Bay State
this evening. Paid our bill, $33.75.
Wife & I (rowed by a young man, & Mr. Scriptor & daughter,
went up the River & dined on the same point where we dined on Friday.
Noticed the Shepherdia Canadensis. About 6 P.M., with Dr. Hall & wife,
& the Harrises, took the Bay State for Charlotte. Fare of self & wife
$11, wooded on Well's Island. [1863] Sept. 2. Wednesday. At about 3 P.M.
landed at Charlotte. The Conductor would not take any fare for my wife.
Reached Rochester at about 4*30' Scranton, at Congress Hall, gave us tea,
toast & whitefish, & would take no pay. Took the 5*30' express, &
reached Buffalo at about 8* & home at about 8*30' P.M. [1863] Sept. 3. Thursday. Put Mr. Thurber's
coat into the Express, & wrote to him. [1863] Sept. 4. Friday. Went to Rochester,
with my daughter Kate, in the 8 A. M. train, & stopped at Congress Hall,
where we dined & supped. Bill $2. Hack line $4. Fare $2.80. Prof. Dewey returned
me my Carices, with additions. Visited the Lower Falls, House of Refuge (very
much pleased). The University (found it open, but no one there & the Ward
Collection locked up, probably vacation) & Mount Hope. In the University
grounds found a grass, which I do not now remember having collected, probably
a Panicum (=P. capilare), & took specimens. On Mt. Hope Cemetery took a
small Andropogon (=A. scoparius), & noticed there the grass ("tall
& beautiful") found on the Plains, Aug. 11 (p.35) (=Sorghum nutans).
Returned, by 8* P.M. train, in 1*40'. Mr.
Nichols, who has been at the sea side, tells me that the fishermen catch the
striped bass in nets, that, in order to find them, they cut a hole through
the skin back of the head of a living one, put a string throught it, secure
it, tie a cork to the end of the string, & let him go, watching him,
& he seeks a school, whereupon they encircle it with their nets. [For Mount
Hope Cemetery see the Miscellaneous Index. "The Western House of Refuge
for Juvenile Delinquents, a State institution, established in 1844, is
located upon a farm of 42 acres 1 1/2 mi. N. of the courthouse. The buildings
consist of a large and imposing main edifice, with wings containing offices,
cells, a chapel, &c. and a variety of workshops. They occupy a site of 4
1/2 acres, surrounded by a high wall. The average number of inmates is nearly
400. [In footnot No. 1: " ... Juvenile delinquents are sentenced to this
institution from the central, northern, and western parts of the State, -
those from the eastern part being sent to a similar institution on Wards
Island, New York City. The inmates spend a portion of each day in study and a
portion in laboring at some useful employment. The principal business carried
on is the manufacture of shoes and brushes. A library of 9,000 volumes is
connected with the institution. The
yearly cost is about $31,000, and the earnings of the inmates
$12,000." (French 1860 p. 404). On page 42: footnote no.4. The House of
Refuge "is supported by the labor of its inmates, the product of its
farm, and an annual State appropriation. ... Its rules require half an hour
more at labor and an hour less at school than is required at the New York
Asylum; and 10 hours are allowed for sleep. In 1859, 508 boys were received
at this institution. Of these, 128 were employed in making chains, 171 in
making shoes, 37 in making brushes, 7 upon the farm, 20 in the sewing rooms,
and 23 as domestics."] [1863] Sept. 5. Saturday. 5 P.M. walked to
Wheelbarrow Point, found the Panicum (capillare) collected yesterday at
Rochester, it seems common. A grass which I collected here some weeks ago,
when immature, is, probably, Bromus ciliatus, but it looks very different
from the one, which, July 5, I collected in the yard or enclosure at the
Whirlpool, with, but much taller than the Bromus Kalmii, lean this one to the
B. mollis (=B. ciliatus v. purgans).
Day had mentioned a locality in the Point where he found what he thinks may
be Plantago cordata. Found the locality & plant, & took some
specimens. I don't see that it corresponds with the description of that
plant, or differs from P. major, unless it be in the no. of seeds, which
seems to be uniformly 4 in each pod. (This is what they thought P. Rugelii.) Collected also a Lophanthus,
which may be scrophulariaefolius, Aster
, Solidago , Cirsium
discolor, Polygonum , Apios
tuberosa very abundant & profusely in flower, in the hollow by the
railroad. Collected, also, in the
Point, a Spartina, probably the cynosuroidea, but with broader & less
elongated & attenuated leaves than that species usually has. [Asa Gray, in a
letter of Sept. 10 below: '3. Day's 4‑seeded Plantago, from Wheelbarrow
Point, see Sept. 5, is P. Rugelii of Decaisne. 4. The Lophanthus from
Wheelbarrow Point, Sept. 5, is the Scrophularaefolius.] [1863] Sept. 6. Sunday. After dinner, walked
up the Turnpike & took to the wood on the beach, this side the tollgate.
On the sand, in approaching it, found a grass, past seed, which lies on the
sand & seems to, if it does not, root & creep (=Agrostis alba).
Collected a common Polygonum, white flowered (=hydropiperoides). Crossed the
Turnpike, & along the ditches to the dark wood. The ditch sides
beautified by Coreopsis trichosperma. Along the cross road to the meadow,
& through that to the Buffalo & Erie (State Line) R. R., and so home.
At the Cattle Stand, Bidens tripinnata, Physalis angulata, v. Philadelphica?
& Xanthium spinosum, of each 1 plant. Day tells me that, on the head of
Squaw Island, Gentiana Andrewsii is abundant & in flower, some white,
& some blue, but of a lighter blue than those we found last year, &
that some of the flowers are open. [1863] Sept. 7. Monday. Took 6*30' A.M. train
for Irving. Engine got out of order, & lost over 1* [ i.e. one hour].
Collected in the sand of the beach, Digitaria glabra, Cyperus diandrus v.
castanea (stem terete, triquetrous) Polygonum aviculare? & noticed also
Cyperus Schweinitzii. Collected also Cakile Americana, the small, Sporobolus,
with purple flowers, (=Tricuspis purpurea), and the grass noticed yesterday.
Collected on the dunes Artemisia Canadensis, not yet well in flower, and,
near Irving, a branching Desmodium well in seed. Walked along the shore to
Silver Creek. In the wood west of the Station & on the left of the R. R.,
noticed the Ginsang (Panax quinquefolia) and, high up the hill, Chimaphila
maculata. Collected in the east end of the wood, where it declines to the
creek, a Carex. The field east of the wood house & north side of the
railroad (partially cleared) is full of Euphorbia lathyris, which has also
crept over the fence in the edge of the wood in the field beyond. Collected
also a grass on the north bank of the R. R., near the end of that wood.
Returned by the 4 P.M. train. By the R.
R., approaching Silver Creek, where it cuts through the slate, found
Euphorbia hypericifolia. [1863] Sept. 8. Tuesday. Rainy this morning.
Probably I have not noted the fact that the Polygonum orientale (Prince's
feather) is a rare garden scape with us. [1863] Sept. 9. Wednesday. Went, by the 8 A.M.
train to Rochester. Called on Prof. Dewey, and went with him to Mt. Hope.
Collected the small Andropogon purpurascens (the Prof. called it A.
scoparius) & Sorghum nutans, and Gerardia pedicularis. Took specimen
Hieracium paniculatum, also of Desmodium, Solidago squarrosa, Solidago , and Helianthus . Also of a common, delicate grass,
which the Prof. says is Aira or the genus next to it. Could not find the
clover said to grow there. Dr. D. says it flowers in June. Returned to his
house & dined. Took specimen (not in flower) of Lysimachia nummularia.
The Trifolium incarnatum (formerly cultivated by him) has died out. Walked,
on R. road, to Coldwater. Approaching it, collected Aster , Solidago , and a Carex. In a pool, south side of the R. R., saw the
Sagittaria with floating leaves &c., collected near Alexandria Bay, &
could see that some of the leaves, on the other side of the pool, were erect.
Begin to think that it is a common form of S. heterophylla. Prof. D.
gave me a dried specimen of a cultivated Datura from California. Took the
train at 6*50', & home! Prof. D.
showed me a hollow, or woody dell, on the side of which the early Carices
grow, & he named C. Emmonsii, varia, pedunculata & plantaginea. [Coldwater, Monroe
Co., is a station on the Buffalo Branch of the N.Y.C.R.R. (Letter from Asa
Gray, Sept. 10 below: 2. The Sagittaria with floating leaves & linear or
lanceolate submerged ones, See Aug. 25, Aug. 31, Sept. 9, is, probably, S.
calycina, Engelm.] [1863] Sept. 10. Thursday. A. M. Went to Day's
garden & took thereupon, besides chickweed for Dick, specimen of
Tropaeolum majus, & Polygonum orientale, also of a Polygonum (growing as
a weed) which, on examination, turns out to be P. Pennsylvanicum. Received
letter from Prof. Gray. He writes, 1.
The water plant found at Alexandria Bay (See Aug. 24), is Callitriche
autumnalis. 2.
The Sagittaria with floating leaves & linear or lanceolate submerged
ones, See Aug. 25, Aug. 31, Sept. 9, is, probably, S. calycina, Engelm. 3.
Day's 4‑seeded Plantago, from Wheelbarrow Point, see Sept. 5, is P. Rugelii
of Decaisne. 4.
The Lophanthus from Wheelbarrow Point, Sept. 5, is the
Scrophularaefolius. P.M. Near
Swartz's ravine, collected Asplenium thelypteroides. By the south fence along
Forest Lawn, a Solidago, an Aster, a Heliathus, & Gnaphalium decurrens?
In Day's Sphagnum, Solidago Muhlenbergii, 2 Asters, Epilobium palustre!, E.
coloratum, a Ribes with black currants (from the bush I called R. rubrum?), &
the same Helianthus?, 3 Polygonums growing all together, one of them the
persicaria? On Squaw Island, the Phragmites, Gentiana Andrewsii, & 4
specimens of a white variety? I can see no difference except that they are
more slender, & the flowers are smaller. On the pier, from the same clump
as last year, Hibiscus moscheutos. [Dick is
Clinton's canary.] [1863] Sept. 11. Friday. Went by 8 A.M. train
to Lewiston. On the bank of the River collected Aster ericoides. Walked to the Suspension Bridge in a
cultivated field, on the right in the road & on the Bank of the River,
Abutilon Avicennae abundant, crossed & went to Brock's Monument. The
Alyssum gone but put some dead stalks in my pocket, hoping there might be a
seed or two in them. The Monument gate‑keeper, as Medicine] asked me if I
knew the Lobelia (L. inflata of course, written above), I said yes! He said
he had the asthma & it was recommended to him & showed me some
Verbascum blattaria & asked if that was it. I told him no! But that it
was a very common plant, & if I found it in going to the bridge I'd leave
it at the bridge, tollhouse, for him, which I did. He told me that the gravel
around the monument had been drawn in part from the first village above,
& in part from below. I inquired about this, partly because I wished to
trace the origin of the Alyssum, & partly because I had found &
collected from the side of the gravelly road near the Monument, a small grass
(= Vilfa vaginiflora) very much resembling the smaller Sporobolis (Tricuspis)
of the Lake Shore. In descending to the Bridge found the Senecio vulgaris, of
an unusual aspect, & so took some of it, to try Dick, our canary, with
it, unless it sould turn out something different [which it did not, written
later]. Recrossed the Bridge & walked to the Station house, & in
going thither, noticed the Houstonia caerulea still flowering, & picked 1
specm. of a tufted grass. Took the
12*30' train to Suspension Bridge, & walked to the Red Mulberry Tree near
the Bank of the River, found several younger trees of the species in the wood
near it, so that there is probably a male among them, took some of the lobed
leaves. On a rock in the wood found the Camptosorus, & on rocks near the
bank, Allosorus atropurpureus and Asplenium trichomanes. Kept along the bank
to the Whirlpool House, & found, in one place, in a slight, gravelly (?)
depression in the edge of the bank the same grass I found near the Monument,
or one very much like it. Collected
also 1 specm. of Gerardia tenuifolia with white flowers, Andropogon scoparius
& A. furcatus (noticed Sorghum nutans) Arctostaphylos uva‑ursi in fruit,
Aster ptarmicoides, Liatris cylindracea. Descended about 1/2 way to the
River, &, in the right of the path, planted a few roots & scattered
spores of the Scolopendrium, &. also planted a few roots of it on the
talus just below the American Staircase at the Falls. In reascending found
& took a Strawberry with a runner 2‑3 feet long. In the wood by the
Whirlpool, collected Zizia integerrima, Desmodium nudiflorum & Pyrola
rotundifolia in seed. Saw Gerardia flava. Walked back to the Falls. Between
the Bridge & the Falls, following the railroad, took 1 Solidago, 1 Aster,
& Lespedeza violacea, exuberantly in flower. At the Falls, near the Grove
[probably Prospect Park], found & took one plant of Sinapis alba? (=
probably S. nigra) small leaved & very smooth. Also a low Euphorbia, or a
suspicion that it might be E. peplus, though it is probably, only the
helioscopia. Went on foot of Americn.
Staircase & searched diligently for Carex Clintonii, but in vain, found
long dead culms of this year, connected with the plant in full seed, culms
which had shed all their seeds & may be what Dr. Dewey took for staminate
spikes. On Goat Isld., in the flat by Terrapin Bridge, collected a few seeds
of Astragalus Cooperi, and one Plantago, in the hope that it would turn out
P. rugelii (It did not.), and, on the Island, 1 specimen of P. major. Took
the 6*20' P.M. train for home. [For Dewey see
1863:June 9 ['Sent C. [Carex] Clintonii & one from the flat [on Goat
Island, June 8] to Dr. Dewey.' Sept.
14. ['In walking on to the Abbott Road, noticed, by the Road Side, the
Onopordum, Sedum telephinum (which is abundant on the Williamsville Road, on
a gravelly place by the road side, sowed the seeds (if any there were) of
Alyssum calycinum, I got at Brock's Monument, on the 11th instant.' See Sept.
10 for reference to the Canary]. [1863] Sept. 12. Saturday. The cucurbit in the
angle before Mr. Fillmore's & M. S. Hawley's, on Niagara St., is Sicyos
angulatus. Took specimen. P.M. Went
to the wood, east side of McAdam road, between Creek & Tollgate, examined
the Plantagoes there, no P. Rugelii, though one plant seemed to have 5 seeds
in each pod. Collected some Solidagoes. Gentiana quinqueflora, few & not
fit for collections yet. Scattered some seeds of divers plants there. Riding
back, noticed a small tree right in front of Hodge's gate, with odd‑looking
fruit. [1863] Sept. 13. Sunday. After dinner, took a
short walk. The tree before Mr.
Hodge's yesterday was one of two Pteleas (trifoliata.) Collected, in
fruit, Cornus paniculata, Benzoin odoriferum, Prinos verticillatus, Smilacina
racemosa, &, in Forest Lawn, Hieracium scabrum. Evening.
Brother Day had been to Sulphur Spring. In the hollow just above the
Dam, a few rods from the Creek, on the Hotel side, he found a small patch of
the Tussilago farfara. Also, there, he saw 2 species of Helianthus which
bothered him. There too he found a Cyperus, like the strigosus, but with very
small spikelets & the branches of the umbel [note this symbol or word
elsewhere used] loosely panicled, Cyperus phymatodes, Muhl. Of these, he gave me a specimen, &
also specimens of an Eleocharis (obtusa) and of a commonish grass (which I
have collected several times, but never so large) and one of Borago
officinalis. Also specimen of Mentzelia alba, raised by him from seeds sent
to me by Miss Mary H. Clark. He says, that the Artemisia biennis is scattered
along the Buffalo & N.Y. City R. R., & Clinton St., & that the
cattle yard of the Buffalo & Erie R. R. is grown up with it. Also that
on Wheelbarrow Point, about 10 rods below the R. R. Bridge he found 1
specimen of Nabalus crepidineus (sed quaere?) [= to find the place?], &
that the Helianthus giganteus is thereabouts, or on the Point. [Mentzelia is in the
Loasaceae. All three species listed in Gray's 6th edition occur in the plains
and prairies of the Dakotas, Illinois, Kansas, Texas. M. alba was not listed.
None are listed in the 1997 New York state checklist by Mitchell &
Tucker. Note the Sulphur Spring appears to be on the Little Buffalo
Creek.] [1863] Sept. 14. Monday. Walked to Wheelbarrow
Point, saw no Nabalus & no Helianthus, the Heliopsis abundant. At the
Cattle Stand on the R. R. there are 2 plants of Xanthium spinosum, and a good
many of Bidens tripinnata. In the cattle pens, the Artemisia biennis
abundant, & some plants 4*‑5* high & much branched. Took specimen of
the Coreopsis from the ditch side behind the pen & towards Tifft's farmhouse.
They too attain 4*‑5* in height.
Crossed from the R. R., to 1st dark wood, S. of the track, &
through the wood to the cross road, & across it & through the wood on
the other side to the R. R. Noticed the Smilax rotundifolia had clumb to the
top of a small tree. Collected 2 of the large blue‑flowered Asters with
numerous narrow rays. Collected Viburnum dentatum in fruit, also, by side of
R. R. another Aster. Along R. R. to path, by ditch, & across to 2nd dark
wood, north of R. R., & collected a grass [and also a Polygonum with
longish nodding red, flesh colored spikes, crossed out]. In that land, on the
south edge of it, 2 grasses. Across the line of woods &c., to the
Limestone Ridge Road. Collected a
Helianthus (probably) decapetalus. Turned down the plank road to Mr. Kelly's,
he returned with me to St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum, in the enclosure, (by the
toll gate) took specimens of a very tall, 8*‑9* Helianthus (probably)
tuberosus (!) Very politely received by Rev. Thomas F. Hines, the
Superintendent, & Sister Veronica, the Manageress. Went through the
establishment, & was very much pleased. In walking on to the Abbott Road,
noticed, by the Road Side, the Onopordum, Sedum telephinum (which is abundant
on the Williamsville Road, on a gravelly place by the road side, sowed the
seeds (if any there were) of Alyssum calycinum, I got at Brock's Monument, on
the 11th instant. Noticed the Dianthera pedunculata [americana written above]
in the Buffalo Creek. Before reaching
the Seneca St. road, collected the Helianthus which I collected last year,
& which Gray decided was H. decapetalus, & there on to Seneca St.,
& home. Saw also, in the Creek, the Cyperus phymatodes Day gave me
yesterday from Sulphur Spring. Collected Solidago caesia & 2 or 3 others.
Also, in crossing by the ditch to the 2nd dark wood, a Polygonum with a
nodding red spike & concave seeds, perhaps lapathifolium [=P. incarnatum written above]. Also Osmunda
regalis, with its seed fronds assuming shape. [? check] [Is this not
Artemisia vulgaris? The Williamsville Road is apparently Bailey Avenue.] [1863] Sept. 15. The 2 large blue flowered
Asters gathered yesterday differ from the one collected in Day's Sphagnum.
One of them is much shorter leaved & the heads or flowers are crowded,
the other, which resembles it closely, is smooth‑stemmed. The long leaved
white Aster collected yesterday, is, probably, the same as the one collected
at Alexandria Bay. Warren
Bryant, poisoned on the wrists, face & privates, in weeding & working
his garden on North Street, called on me & I went there with him, he
supposing it was the wild buckwheat (Polygonum convolvulus,) I found the
poison ivy (Rhus toxicodendron), planted at the root of one of his trees, and
he remembered he had been working among it. I was poisoned about the eyes
&c., by collecting the Euphorbia lathyrus, & touching my skin with my
unwashed hands, at Silver Creek. By his
house a fine tree, he calls the Juneberry, probably an Amelanchier. On his
lawn, left side entering, a woody shrub, or small tree, with a very singular
leaf, took a specimen, Salisburia adiantifolia. At the corner right in
entering, a clover like plant, which Mr. B. says is called the Crown of
Thorns, very likely a Medicago. At 3. P.M.
took stage for Aurora. When we changed horses, about 1 mile this side of
"The house that Jack built" on the bank of Cazenovia Creek, found
Gentiana crinita, growing with G. Andrewsii. Stopped at the tavern in the
Upper Village of Aurora, the lower now called Willink, & got supper. Dr.
Hoyt, came in & said I had been committed to his charge, & took me to
his house, where I was most hospitably entertained during my stay. [Salisburia
adiantifolia (or Ginkgo biloba), Wood 1870. This is the start of events leading
to the Aurura Agricultural Address of Sept. 17.] [1863] Sept. 16. Walked around in the morning.
Found in a court yard, &, afterwards, in the street edge of a garden, the
true Lophanthus nepetoides, & took specimens. Collected in the Bank of
the Creek, a small blue flowered Aster (tradescanti?) & Solidago caesia
and by the roadside 2 other Solidagoes. Went to the Fair, a lovely grove,
& delivered my Address to the Union Fair. [This is the Aurora
Agricultrual Address, delivered in the Upper village of Aurora, or the lower
(Willink). The Creek is the Cazenovia.] [1863] Sept. 17. Mr. Nathaniel A. Turner, with
his team, rode me & Dr. Hoyt to the Buffalo Creek & also to the
Carding mill on Cazenovia Creek, a very pleasant excursion. Mr. Turner has
some Indian Relics, which he wishes to give to The Buffalo Historical
Society, & become a member thereof. Took the Stage at about 1 1/2* P.M.
and arrived at home at about 5 1/2*P.M. (Found, in a wood, two specimens of
what may be Conioselinum (=Aethusa cynapium). Gathered, in the Spring on Mr.
Turner's farm, a Callitriche, probably the verna. There is on a little run,
or brook, below the spring, an issue of carburetted hydrogen which he thinks
would be sufficient to light his house & do his cooking. [See Cazenovia Creek
in the miscellaneous index. It is a tributary of the Buffalo Creek. Mr.
Turner as well as Dr. Hoyt was a native of the town of Aurora which, in the
postal village of Willink, had a woolen factory.] [1863] Sept. 18. Nil of consequence. [1863] Sept. 19. Walked in Canada. Collected
Polygonum acre & hydropiper and a white flowered Pennsylvanicum, Cyperus
filiculmis & C. Schweinitzii (very tall) the 2 Sporoboluses? [=Sporobolus
cryptandrus & Tricuspis purpurea, written above] 2 Asters, &
probably, 3 Solidagoes, Chenopodium ambrosioides & another [=C. urbicum
v. rhombifolium, written above], a very tall & rank Gerardia tenuifolia,
1 specimen of Botrychium lunarioides, and, this side of the turnout of the L.
Huron R. R., Solanum Carolinense. The flowers are not large, & are very
few, & I am afraid it will not seed this year. There are 5‑8 plants,
& all together.* Received
letter from Gray, with the Isoetes. *Collected
also, on the shore of the Lake [i.e. Erie], leaves of a Poplar, tree large,
leaves largish & curiously toothed (=Populus monilifera.) [This is apparently
in Fort Erie, as verified by Clinton's entry in his miscellaneous index under
Fort Erie.] [1863] Sept. 20. After Church & dinner
walked up the Turnpike, nearly to the Gate, & then cut through the field
to the border of the first wood, & skirted round it, in doing so found a
very pretty Aster, stem 3*‑4*, racemose panicled at top, flowers middle
sized, first blue, some times white, leaves linear, narrow, long, = A. longifolius.
[note abbreviations in left margin]. Also the Solidago of that place,
probably Canadensis, & 2, or 3 specimens of Coreopsis trichosperma. At
the ditch side, where I entered the field, collected 3 Polygonums, all of
which answer Gray's P. nodosum v. incarnatum, pretty wild [= P.
Pennsylvanicum, written above], 1 has white flowers, & the 2nd (probably
the same) red ones [= Pennsylvanicum, written above.] in both the heads are
short, the third has red spikes, elongated & drooping, & is,
probably, the one I collected on the 14th sometime since in crossing from the
Buffalo & Erie R. R. to the 2nd dark wood. Noticed, by the B. & E.
cattle stand this side of Elk St. 2 or 3 plants of Solanum Carolinense, all
together, no signs of flowering. Evening. Called
on Day. He was in Canada today, & had found the S. Carolinense, also, the
small, erect form of Sporobolus. If I remember right, it was Vilfa
vaginaeflora, and Triglochin palustre in fruit. [1863] Sept. 21. The Equinoctial is raging. Of
the Polygonums mentioned yesterday, Nos 1 & 2, the short headed ones,
are, probably, varieties of P. Pennsylvanicum, but their aspect is very
different from its aspect, & no. 3, the one with the long & drooping
heads, is, probably P. nodosum, v. incarnatum. Some one having left in Day's
Office a white Gentiana Andrewsii? he gave it to me. [1863] Sept. 22. Car to Cold Spring. Noticed,
in vacant lot, south of Allen St., on East side of Main, a tallish thistle,
looking plant (= Silybum) and, on West side of Main, on or just beyond Deacon
Bryant's old place, a tall Helianthus (= tuberosus). Took berries of Rhamnus
Catharticus from Moffat's Hedge. This side of Burt Scott's old place, Melissa
(balm). Turned in to the left, by Sherwood's burial vault. Collected Nabalus
albus & an Aster, thence to the meadow by the woods, & collected
another Aster, a grass (probably Agrostis alba) and the Polygonum acre &
hydropiper. Noticed, near the northwest corner of the meadow, by the wood, a
sweet odor, which I supposed might be of the Anthozanthum, but could not
discover what it proceeded from. In the wood, collected 2 Asters. Returned to
the McAdam road, &., in returning, collected berries of Cornus paniculata
& another Cornus, and of Smilax herbacea. The Hungarian grass (a Setaria)
is escaping. Went through Poor House orchard to the wood. By the side of a
ditch they were digging behind the Poor House, & in the back part of the
field, Artemisia biennis abundant. By farm road side, (returning through the
fields & line of groves), gathered what seems to me a new Aster, smallish
white flowered, leaves ovate, lower ones with a winged petiole (A.
sagittifolius.) Collected also Aster multiflorus, Solidago ridiga, and, by
the Stone fence near the north side of the last wood north of the Schanzlin
road, a Solidago, probably the nemoralis, but of a much softer habit. Another
Aster (simplex, I suppose) near the Schanzlin road. By it to the Mc Adam
Road, & thence to Cold Spring, where I took the car, & home. In the
grove, where I found, in the openings of it, Andropogon furcatus &
Sorghum nutans, found, in a dried up state, a tallish grass (but much lower
than they) flowers awned, & in spikes 2‑3 in. long, & took specimen
(= Triticum caninum). Dug up a
root & some pieces of roots of Frasera Caroliniensis, & put them in
The Express for Gray. [See Sept. 26 below
for the Allen St. Silybum; also the Helianthus. Melissa officinalis L., l.c.
is called Garden or lemon balm; the McAdam Road is presently Main St. north
of the junction of Main and Scajaquada Creek, a little northeast of Delevan
St. The Frasera is mentioned several times before: see 1862:Aug. 18.] [1863] Sept. 23. Took a boat at the Dam. Foot
of Squaw Island, collected a water‑weed, which I subsequently found also
on the west side of Strawberry, between it & the little Island, = Naias
flexilis. Head of
Strawberry, collected an
Aster, a Solidago, a Cirsium, = discolor, and a fine Panicum, which seems to
me to be the same I collected at Albany, Aug. 6, = P. virgatum. In Little
Bay found the Nasturtium lacustre growing in the water, the leaves under
the water very much cut. In Big Bay
found one of our common coarse narrow leaved Sagittarias with an erect leaf
or two & submerged radical [euriform?] ones, but no floating leaves. Head of
Grand Island. Collected 2
water weeds, one very humble & mosslike but rigid. Also pods of Hypericum pyramidatum &
Astragalus Canadensis. On the shore found 7‑9 plants of a Juncus, growing
together & took all but one [J. nodosus v. megacephalus written above]. Collected also Sium lineare, a
common Erigeron annuum & the Osier [=Salix purpurea, written above] of
which Mr. Allen, or some one, has
established a large plantation. Rowed back
to the Dam, & walked up to the Ferry, where I took the Street Car. On the
[Squaw] Island collected a white Aster, & a similarly looking blue one,
in walking up the head. Visited the locality of Gentiana Andrewsii, &
picked 3 or 4 white ones, also a blue Aster. On the Harbor side of the Island,
took specimens of a Cirsium, the spines of this instance stand straight out
[= Cirsium discolor written above]. What I
take to be Polygonum acre seems quite common, abundant on Squaw, Strawberry
& Grand Islands. [There is an Apium
lineare in Wood p. 140, but a Sium latifolium L., p. 141. The little island
on Strawberry Island (a small channel separating it from the larger area) can
be seen in early maps. The Harbor side of Squaw Island is the eastern side
where the channel lies; Smuggler's Run is on the western, Niagara River side
near the foot of the island. The head of Grand Island might include what is
presently Beaver Island State Park, although since Clinton went to Beaver
Island occasionally, this time he probably meant somewhere east of it. Polygonum
acre HBK = Polygonum punctatum Ell. Salix purpurea L., Basket Willow, an
alien species with leaves distinctive in that they are opposite on the
branches is present along water courses at the foot of Grand Island today at
Buckhorn Island State Park]. [1863] Sept. 24. Before Breakfast, walked to
Squaw Isld. to find my knife, which I left there yesterday. Did not find it.
On my way, collected pods of the Catalpa cordifolia. Wrote to
Gray & sent him one of my waterweeds, the Squaw island one for determination. Think one of the weeds I picked up there
was Callitriche autumnalis (= not so!).
Changing
my drying plants, identified Lechea major & L. minor. [1863] Sept.
25. Went, by R. R., to Suspension Bridge, crossed & walked down to Whirlpool.
Collected a grass (=Muhlenbergia diffusa, written in). Descended to Whirlpool, area north of the
little stream, found a vine, without flower or fruit, leaves pinnate in 5s or
7s, perhaps Apios tuberosa. Ascended just beyond the slide, on it found two slim
Solidagoes well gone in fruit, one, probably S. canadensis, and the other,
perhaps, arguta. Along the Bank,
Vilfa vaginaeflora common. Collected a Vitis, in the unripe fruit, =
V. labrusca. On the first, wooded, flat (on top of
bank) collected Cirsium (perhaps altis.m. though small, Verbena urticifolia ?
(in seed) Helianthus , Trifolium
arvense, and 1 specimen of Lophanthus nepetoides. Walked on to Foster's Flat. Descending. Collected a grass
[=Muhlenergia sylvatica, written in], Chenopodium hybridum, Impatiens fulva,
and, on the flat, Nabalus altissimus. Walked back to La Salle. Collected some Asters, Aster sagittifolius
is common. The largish blue Aster & the similar bluish‑white one, the
former especially so common, are, I think different. The involucres seem
different, & the white/blue one has a very smooth leaf, while the blue
one's leaves are pubescent. But they are very much alike, = Aster puniceus
& A. vimineus & A. novae‑angliae. Between the Falls & LaSalle,
took 2 specmens of a large belated Carex and leaves of 2(3) poplars (both =P.
monilifera). At the Falls, gathered
some seed of Lithospermum officinale, also, the Echium in fruit. Polygonum
acre abundant at La Salle, indeed, seems common everywhere. The Nesaea
verticillata's long branches, drooping into the water or on the mud, swell
for a foot or two, with swollen part roots & the end contracts and sends
up or continues into, a green branch.
Took the 6*20' P.M. train from the Falls, when it came along. [Bank is ambiguous
here as to whether it occurs at the base of the gorge or not. Usually Clinton
mostly uses it to indicate the rim of the gorge above: the limit of the
tableland above the gorge of the Niagara River. Otherwise, 'bank' is used as
the margin of any body of water. Clinton's itinerary here seems odd: he
crossed the suspension bridge at the village of that name and walked
downstream in Canada. He recrossed to New York, probably at the same
suspension bridge, walked to the Falls, then upstream to LaSalle, taking the
train at its station there, home.] [1863] Sept. 26. The thistle‑looking plant, on
East side of Main Street & south of Allen St., noticed on the 22d, is
Silybum marianum. The Helianthus noticed that day is H. tuberosus. Found
Nicandra physoides growing, as a garden weed, on Seneca St. [1863] Sept. 27. After dinner, rode, in Main
St. car, to Schanzlin Road, walked to Ambrose's Tavern, &, by cross road
to the Creek, & up it. Found the small, upright Sporobolus‑looking grass,
& also the longer & slender one, + Vilfa vaginaeflora. Noticed
Polygonum acre with a spike as thick or thicker than that of P. [triste?
prob. tenue]. In the wood, near the Pine Hill Plank road, collected a few
specimens of Botrychium lunarioides. The 2 barren fronded ones seem
commonish. It would seem that the earlier & more radical barren frond
withers before or as the upper one matures. Walked back on the Plank Road to
Genesee St. car, & by it, home. [1863] Sept. 28. Took road by Schanzlin's to
Wollfer's Tavern. Scattered seed, of Lithospermum officinale & Euphorbia
lathyrus, on left (west side of Main Street) between Cold Spring & the
Schanzlin Road, and, after passing the bridge on that road, on the right
(Smith), & , on ascending the first rise, on the left, and, on descending
along the wood lot, on the right. Picked chess, Bromus, & Malva
moscheutos. From Wollfer's to the Creek, & got the Polygonum mentioned
yesterday, am satisfied that it is the acre. Kept through the fields &
woods to Pine Hill & then returned by the Schanzlin Road, returning
picked by road side one culm of rye (Secale cereale) took car & home. On
the S. W. corner of the Schanzlin Road & Main St., picked an Artemisia, =
A. abrotanum, a garden scape, very strong scented. Also, in woods, 2 specimens
Botrychium lunarioides. [1863] Sept.
29. P.M. Went to the Dam & took boat. At foot of Squaw Island collected
more of the water plant I sent to Gray (= Naias flexilis). It looks to me
fucoidal. Rowed up, close ashore, to Smuggler's Run, looking for the Isoetes.
Nil. Mr. Cook (Insurance Agent, and son of Mr. Cook the teacher) promised to
procure for me some seed of the Kentucky bluegrass. Being employed in the
construction of a R. Road there, he bound down quick sand, or soil equivalent
to it, by sowing the blue‑grass. One consequence was that mules &c.
seeing thrifty patches of it along the r. r., would jump or break over the
fences, & so the R. R. Co. had mules to pay for. Can it be our Poa
compressa? [The water
plant being fucoidal refers to its alga-like appearance.] [1863]
Sept. 30. About Squaw Island. Nil. |
|
Scientific names may be looked up
in the online checklist of Western New York plants. Find genus names
beginning with A - C D - K L - P Q - Z. |