3 
In the woods which surrounded our headquarters were several 
patches of Clematis ochroleuca; along the outskirts was Crategus 
spathulata, and in damp places Asarum arifolium pushed up 
through the fallen leaves. “ Pigs ” is the very curious local name 
for this latter plant. In old fields Barbarea precox, robust 
Gnaphalium | purpureum, Pyrrhopappus Carolinianus, Allium 
mutabile and Lolium temulentum abounded. On banks and in 
open places through the woods, a slender form of Pentstemon 
levigatus, with dark lead-colored flowers, grew. 
A short excursion on June 8th between showers, produced, 
among other things, a pubescent form of Zizia cordata, and the 
introduced Bupleurum rotundifolium. The mistletoe was seen in 
a number of places, and in every case grew on species of Hicoria. 
The continual rain made the roads almost impassable, and the 
drying of specimens slow work. In fact, a number of the best 
specimens from Virginia had to be thrown away on account of the 
dampness. Under these circumstances satisfactory work being 
impossible, a start for the mountains was determined upon, and 
by eight o'clock on the morning of June 9th we were on our 
way tothe Blue Ridge. The most serious incident that occurred 
on the way was that of having a satchel stolen, containing many 
articles which would have been of the greatest use in the moun- 
tains. 
Lenoir, a town near the foothills of the Blue Ridge, was 
reached shortly after midnight. The summit of Blowing Rock 
mountain was the objective point, and early in the morning, after 
replacing some of our stolen baggage and making all necessary 
arrangements, we procured a horse and buggy and started on 
the remaining part of the journey. For eleven miles the road 
runs between low hills, and crosses the Yadkin river repeatedly. 
After passing the eleventh mile-post, it reaches the Blue Ridge 
proper and begins the ascent of Rip Shin mountain, winding 
around and over many other ridges, with quite a grade for the 
distance of nine miles. 
The mountain part of the road did not seem to agree very 
well with the horse, so plenty of time was given him, and after a 
ride of eight hours we reached the top, an altitude of 4,200 feet. 
The last two or three miles were the most interesting. At 
