39 



in making dags (same word as dagger) or skewers for holding 

 the meat being roasted before an open fire. 



Homer knew the strength of the hard wood and praised the 

 lances made from it. The species he knew was most likely 

 Cornus mas. Its fruit was fed to swine. The Basque people 

 believed there was magic in a wand made from a branch of the 

 dogwood tree. 



Plutarch tells of the holy cornel tree that was close by the 

 steps where Romulus dwelt in Rome. Romulus threw a dart, 

 the stafif of which was made of cornel, with such strength that 

 it struck deep into the ground and grew and "produced a tree 

 of considerable bigness." Posterity worshipped it and it was 

 held sacred. If anyone saw it withering, he made outcry and 

 people would run wath pails of water to revive it. When Caius 

 Caesar, they say, was repairing the steps, the laborers dug too 

 close to the roots and the tree died. 



The dogwood trail I know best in New Jersey is through 

 woodlands where Indians once lived in wattle huts. My cabin 

 is said to be on the site of the queen's wickiup. Nearby is a 

 stream up which, a few years ago, beavers swam and cut several 

 small trees on the bank. They must have come down the Dela- 

 ware River to the Rancocas Creek and then to this branch 

 known as Haines Creek. Beyond is a grove of persimmon trees. 

 In the cabin flying squirrels made their winter quarters. At the 

 edge of the wood is beach plum. Did the Indians bring the fruit 

 there and leave the seeds, or is it there as a survival of an old 

 sea-beach? The dogwood grows with holly and sassafras under 

 pines and oaks. In season, one may find azalea, strawberry- 

 bush, moccasin flower. New Jersey tea, sweet fern, and wild 

 grape. When the sun is in the west and shining between the tree 

 trunks, the "ivory trays" of dogwood flowers are lighted up and 

 truly Cotoxon Pines is an alluring place. 



In the Yosemite \'alley, we saw thickets of dogwood, prob- 

 ably C. glahrata, growing in damp places. In the second week 

 of August, w^e saw more of this on a flat on the way to the 

 Tuolumne grove of big trees. It is associated with, acres of blue 

 lupine and red fireweed and was a restful relief after a steep 

 and thrilling climb out of the valley on a rocky, one-way road 

 where we feared the automobile would not safely manage some 

 of the sharp curves as it toiled up the Sierras, for the Sequoias 



