24 Botanical Excursion to the Mountains of North Carolina. E 
curred at a lower elevation than usual, scarcely more than three 
thousand feet above the level of the sea, and in a dwarfish state _ 
(about a foot high): subsequently we only met with it on the =~ 
summit of the Grandfather and other mountains which exceed = 
the altitude of five thousand feet, where it is commonly three-or : 
four feet high. We were too early for the fruit, a small, red or oe 
purplish berry, which does not ripen until. August aber 
It. has an exquisite flavor, according to.Pursh, whe. found ithe. 
plaut on the mountains of —— our, friend Mr. Curtis 
informs us that is rather i insipid, ly de wn te of the fine 
acidity of the Cranberry. » bez: 
On the 2nd of July we. getimed our igonraey y (il vila to 
Jefferson or Ashe Court-House, a hamlet of twenty or thirty & 
,and the only village in the county. Intending to. make ee 
. this: pee our. er while we remained in the region, we 
had the good fortune to find excellent accommodations at the 
“. house of Col. Bower, who evinced every. disposition to further 
our inquiries, and afforded. us: very important peer We 
‘may remark, indeed, that during our. res mongst the 
mountains, we were uniformly received. with courtesy by the i in- 
habitants; who for the most part wanted the general inte igence 
of onr obliging host at Jefferson, and could scarcely: be i nade t 
comprehend the object of our visit, or why we should come from 
a distance of seven hundred miles, to toil over the mountains in 
quest of their common and disregarded herbs. Curiosities as ‘we 
were to these good folks, their endless queries had no air. of im- 
pertinence, and they entertained us to the best of their ability, 
never attempting to make unreasonable charges. A very fastid- 
ious palate might occasionally be at a loss; but good corn-bread 
and milk are everywhere abundant ; the latter being used from 
preference quite sour, or even curdled. Sweet milk appears to 
be very generally disliked, being thought less wholesome, and. 
more likely to produce the ‘ milk sickness,’ which is prevalent in 
some very circumscribed districts; so that our dislike of. sour, 
and fondness for sweet milk was regarded by this simple people 
as one of our very many oddities. Nearly every farmer has a 
small dairy-house built over a cold brook or spring, by which the 
milk and butter are kept cool and sweet in the warmest weather. 
_ We botanized for eevee! days Big the mountains in the im- 
e 
