THE DIAPENSIA FAMli.Y. 405 



Michaux could not have been so mistaken ; that the true home of shortia 

 must be in " les hautes montagnes de Carolinie." It was quite possible, he 

 argued, that the point on the Catawba where it had been found was an 

 outlying haven to which it might have been washed. So with renewed 

 energy it was searched for through the mountains until discouragement 

 lagged the footsteps of the seekers. 



In the autumn of the year 1886 Professor Sargent visited the moun- 

 tainous region of North Carolina about the head waters of the Keowce 

 River, the great eastern fork of the Savannah, with the object in view of re- 

 discovering Magnolia cordata. At Hog Back, a place now called Sapphire, 

 he was met by Mr. Frank Boynton. One evening after dark Professor 

 Sargent came in with his portfolio and took from it, among other things 

 that he had gathered, a leaf. " What is it ? " he asked. Mr. Pjoynton was 

 about to answer, " It is galax " ; but on looking at the leaf more closely, he 

 said he didn't know. During that evening the Professor's mail was brought 

 in, among the letters being one from Dr. Gray, which read as follows : 



September 17, 18S6. 

 " My dear Sargent : 



" Would I were with you ! I can only say crown yourself with 

 glory by discovering a habitat — the original habitat of shortia — which we 

 will believe Michaux found near where the Magnolia cordata came from — 

 or in that first expedition. 



" Yours ever, 



" Asa Gray." 



Mr. Stiles the editor of " Garden and Forest " who also was present on this 

 eventful evening then said, in a joking way : " That's shortia you have in 

 your hand." This proved to be true. The leaf was shortia. Professor 

 Sargent had found it, just ninety-eight years after Michaux's discoverv, 

 probably near the same spot. 



About two weeks later, when this astonishing fact had been fully ascer- 

 tained by Professor Sargent, he sent word to Mr. Boynton who, with his 

 brother, then went back definitely to locate the plant. They found it grow- 

 ing near Bear Camp Creek in a rather limited quantity, but still enough for 

 them to carry away a bag full of specimens for distribution. 



In the following spring Mr. Harbison started out in cjuest of it. He went 

 beyond Bear Creek to the forks of the rivers. There he saw it growing in 

 great masses, acres, in fact, which were as thickly covered as clover fields. 

 Wagon-loads of it were eventually taken away and still there appeared to 

 be no diminution of its abundance. 



