52 



'*Dr. Mellichamp was an ardent lover of nature, with 

 a poetic and artistic spirit, and his letters teem with 

 fine descriptions of the various objects which attracted 

 him in his professional drives about the country. He 

 was wont, as the spring approached, to speak of the 

 exceeding beauty of the young flowers of Pinus Elliot- 

 tii, as they expanded their cones over the trees, crown- 

 ing their robes of green with a haze of purple. His 

 letters show the keenest sense of the loveliness and de- 

 licious warmth of a spring in the pines with flowers 

 opening everywhere, the fragrance of the woods, of 

 jessamine and of magnolias filling the air made vocal 

 with the songs of mocking birds. 



''But best of all, he was a man to be loved for his quali- 

 ties of heart and mind. A magnetic and attractive man, 

 his friends and correspondents cannot forget his ready 

 kindness and words of cheer, and will cherish his mem- 

 ory. He was loved by the poor people of his district, 

 who, in a touching way, mourned the loss of their *old 

 doctor' as his body was borne to the grave. As might 

 have been supposed, he was intensely Southern in his 

 feelings and in his love for his native State. He now 

 rests in her bosom; and the well known lines, slightly 

 altered, may well be applied to him; "Little he'll reck 

 if they let him sleep on in the grave where a Southron 

 has laid him.' " 



The following notice appeared in the Botanical Ga- 

 zette for November, 1903 : "Dr. Joseph H. Mellichamp, 

 an ardent student of the Southern flora, died October 

 2, in James Island, S. C." 



Library 

 State Coliesre 



