GENERAL ASPECT OF THE FLORA. 1 o 



-strata come to the surface — a good deal of such is in Tennessee — 

 there we come into a poverty-stricken country. Like in the gravelly 

 ridges of East Tennessee, so here too, the black-jack oak asserts its 

 right. Spanish oak, sourwood and chestnut are the main body of 

 the forest. Intervals are filled up with copses of sumach, dogwood, 

 black haw, azaleas {Azalea nudiflora L.), Kahnia latifolia L., and 

 various huckleberries (VacciniiDii arhorum Michx.), V. stamin- 

 cum L.. V. coryinhosum L., Jersey-tea (Ceanothus Americanus 

 L.). The herbaceous vegetation is monotonous, and in districts 

 where the burning of the woods is practiced, of an unparalleled 

 scarcitv. Agricultural enterprise terminates very soon in the 

 mutual ruin of land and farmer. Between such worthless lands 

 are tracts or regions where the soil is of a yellow, light or fluffy 

 loam, easily cultivated, not very rich, but apt to be kept in good 

 condition. The subcarboniferous strata are here completely car- 

 ried off and the Devonian strata become exposed and disinteg- 

 rated into beds of loam or clay. We notice now a pleasant 

 change in the appearance of well-kept farms, a better growth of 

 timber and a much improved botanical prospect. Sometimes we 

 pass by points where the subjacent strata are of an impervious 

 clay, from which result heavy and damp soils, and in the early 

 months of the year portions of the barrens are covered with 

 shallow ponds, until they dry up in the hot season. Such spots 

 are convenient abodes for orchids, liliaceous plants, luncacese, 

 Cyperacese, Graminese, Ludwigias, Rhexias, etc. The forest con- 

 tains a good selection of hard-woods and the trees attain a statelv 

 growth. Water oak, willow oak and white oak, sweet gum and 

 black gum are the most numerous. Ashes, poplars and beeches 

 less frequent than in calcarious soils. The shrubbery is made up 

 by alder {Alnus serrulata Ait.), willows (Salix tristis Ait.,S. humilis 

 Marsh.), botton-bush {Cephalanfhiis occidenialis L.), arrow-wood 

 (Viburnvm nudum L.), Spiroea tomentosa L., Rosa Carolina L., 

 Hypericum Kalmiamun Ij., H. prolificum L., Comandra umhel- 

 lata Nutt. 



I have appended for a ready review a comparative list of spe- 

 cies of calcarious soils (glades) and siliceous soils (oak barrens). 



PLANTS OF THE GLADES AXD BLUFFS. 



(Calcareous soile.) 



Clematis reticulata Walt. Krigia Dandelion Nutt. 



Thalictrum Cornuti L. Prenanthes crepidinea Michx. 



Anemone decapetala L. Lobelia Gattingeri Gray. 



Myosurus minimus L. Bumelia lycioides Gsert. 



Ranunculus fascicularis Muhlb. Forestiera acuminata Poir. 



Delphinium azureum Michx. F. Hgustrina Poir. 



