56 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1904. 



the dark slopes of the high mountains, we learned, were covered 

 with Fraser's fir (Ahies Fraseri). Both are found only in this 

 vicinity. The botanists at Biltmore think the mountains of 

 North and Soutli Carolina the most interesting botanical region 

 on the Atlantic coast, because of the great variety of species 

 native to that region. 



We saw many traces of fire and flood, especially on the 

 French Broad river in the western part of North Carolina. 

 In ^^irginia these conditions are even more noticeable, where 

 the hillsides are strewn with burned or partially decayed timber. 



It was in the mountains of South Carolina that we saw the 

 largest and finest trees. Leaving the railroad at Seneca we 

 drove twenty-five miles up a river valley, where we went for 

 the purpose of seeing that most interesting American flower, 

 Shortia galacifolia, — little coltsfoot, the natives of Jocasse 

 valley call it. 



At first our route lay over a stretch of country where dead 

 pine trees stood in various stages of decay. The settlers girdled 

 them for the purpose of clearing their land that they might 

 plant corn and cotton. We passed through many such fields 

 until we came to a growth of liardwood, oak predcmuiating, 

 .with mistletoe growing upon its boughs. 



Our guide, learning of our interest in trees, offered to show 

 us some exceptional ones. It proved to be a day's tramp 

 there and back from the valley, but we felt well repaid for 

 all our trouble in crossing streams and climbing through rhodo- 

 dendron thickets, until we finally came to the big timber. 

 We saw chestnut trees (Castanea dentata) fourteen feet in 

 circumference; tulip {Liriodendron tulipifera) more than sixteen 

 and a half feet in circumference, five feet from the ground, 

 a liquidambar or sweet gum {Liquidamhar styraciflua) nine feet, 

 sending its straight trunk into the air for one hundred and 

 thirty feet, with at least seventy-five feet clear of branches. 

 It is said there are over a hundred varieties of trees in these 

 mountains. There were black walnut, black birch, ash, per- 

 simmon, hemlock and puies. The reason why so much virgin 



