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The white locust {Rohinia Pseudacacia) is common in this 

 county, sometimes growing to a great height, but usually found 

 as small trees or large bushes along lanes and fences. The 

 flowers appear the last of May, or first of June, and for a week 

 the trees are beautiful, as every little branch bears several racemes 

 of delightfully fragrant flowers. There is a superstition among 

 country people that lightning will not strike a house near which 

 grows either a white locust or a mountain ash. In some localities 

 the latter is known as "lightning tree" because of this belief. 

 The clammy locust {R. viscosa) and the moss locust {R. hispida) 

 are to be found here, but the latter is not as plentiful as the former, 

 which sometimes forms thickets. They begin to bloom about 

 the time the flowers of the white locust appear, but their season 

 is much longer. Neither is fragrant, partly atoning for that 

 lack by the exquisite tinting of the flowers. The petals of the 

 clammy locust are pale pink, but the calyx is tinged with rich 

 red, thus giving the effect, especially from a little distance, of 

 rather deep pink flowers. The flowers of the moss locust are 

 rosy purple, very beautiful indeed, in contrast with the pale 

 green stems beset with dark red hairs, and the deep green leaves. 



Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) used to cover the hills, 

 and is still abundant in certain localities, but in a few years we 

 may count ourselves fortunate to come across one bush, where 

 now there are hundreds. Laurel is not only extensively gathered 

 when in bloom, but because of its beautiful evergreen leaves, is 

 much sought after for Christmas decorations. And then people 

 are utterly at a loss to understand why there are no flowers the 

 next year, "when we found quantities here last June!" There 

 is a large estate not far from here, whose owner has gone to much 

 trouble and expense to make a laurel plantation. For several 

 weeks of the summer, and again in the winter, I am told he keeps 

 fierce dogs in the grounds, and his men are armed with guns, in 

 order to keep away the hordes of people who think because the 

 bushes are native, they are at liberty to help themselves. In 

 the higher hills the laurel bushes grow quite tall, but the usual 

 height is from three to five feet. The flowers vary greatly in 

 size, some being a little over an inch in diameter when fully 



