169 



the scientific program was presented, the first contribution being 

 made by the president, Dr. H. H. Rusby, who spoke on "The 

 EarHest Spring Flowers in the Vicinity of Charleston, South 

 Carolina." 



The speaker's remarks were based on observations made be- 

 tween March i6 and March 23 at Summerville, which is about 

 twenty -two miles northwest of Charleston. This town is located 

 upon a ridge, said to be of limestone and elevated only a few feet 

 above the surrounding flats. Most of the country about is 

 covered with pine timber, but there are numerous low swampy 

 places filled with dense thickets formed of various trees, shrubs, 

 and vines. There is also considerable deciduous forest growth 

 intermingled with the pines. By a careful comparison of the 

 state of vegetation there in March with that of New York and 

 vicinity in May, it was concluded that there was a difference of 

 eight or nine weeks this year in the progress of the season, 

 though it is probable that in an ordinary year the difference would 

 be about seven or eight weeks. 



Summerville is noted for the existence there of Dr. Shepard's 

 tea-gardens, the only tea plantation conducted on a commercial 

 scale in this country. There are now about 100 acres of planta- 

 tion in productive operation there, from which 12,000 to 15,000 

 pounds of tea are sold annually. Success has been obtained 

 through an extensive series of experiments with all the known 

 varieties of the tea plant. No attempt is made to compete with 

 the Orient in the cheaper grades of tea but in the more highly 

 prized grades, the Summerville product is already taking a lead- 

 ing rank. 



The plants collected were discussed and exhibited in groups, 

 the first comprising the earliest-flowering kinds. The yellow 

 jessamine {Geheniiiuii) was everywhere abundant, forming thickets 

 difficult of penetration and loading the air with fragrance. Grow- 

 ing with it were several species of Smilax, then sending up their 

 young crisp shoots, which are there known as " wild asparagus " 

 and are said to be used as a substitute for that vegetable. They 

 have large tuberous rhizomes, collectively known as " bamboo 

 brier." Some of the more fleshy starchy kinds of these tuberous 



