40 FIELD AND FOREST. 



These "Balds" cover most of the summits of the mountains over 

 6000 feet in height, interrupted here and there by rocky summits, and 

 are a marked feature of the Southern Appalachians as compared with 

 the Northern, where all above 5000 feet is barren rock. 



This " Roan Mt. Bald" is somewhat similar in appearance to the 

 "Alpine Garden " on Mt. Washington, but greatly surpasses it in the 

 deep, black loam of which it is made up, and the sweet, juicy, tender 

 grasses with which it is covered. But this has its drawbacks, for 

 hundreds of cattle, sheep, and hogs, the bane and plague of botanists 

 roam at will over these mountain pastures, and not only cross the rich 

 and varied Flora, but render it difficult even to determine the grasses 

 which make up the green turf. 



Car ex juncea, Danthonia compressa, Agrostis perennans, Aira flex- 

 uosa, Poa annua and Trisetum subspieatum, var. molle were the only 

 grasses determined. 



During our three days stay on the summit, we thoroughly explored 

 these open pastures and found Genm genie ulatum, Rudbeekia laciniata, 

 Trautvetteria pahnata, Nabalus crepidineus, Arehemora rigida, Genii- 

 ana quinquepflora, (dwarf form,) Genm radiatum. 



Verahtm viride, (Hellebore,) grows all over this summit as on Mt. 

 Washington, and is quite an important article of traffic, between twenty 

 and thirty thousand pounds of the root having been bought by one firm 

 in Bakersville, N. C, during the present season, which at even at three 

 and a half cents per pound makes quite a sum. 



Panax quinquefolia r (Ginsengs jn common parlance "Sang," is 

 quite in demand, bringing one dollar a pound, and one old mount- 

 aineer replied to my question if he had often been on the mountain, 

 '.' Why, I have ' sanged ' all over it." 



Dr. Gray's visit here last year awakened quite an interest in botan- 

 ical exploration, and more than once I was greeted with the query 

 " Found ' Shortey ' yet ?" By which I suppose was meant the mythi- 

 cal Shortia of Michaux, for which any enthusiastic young or old bota- 

 nist is at full liberty to hunt. On the dryer and more barren spots were 

 found Veronica officinalis, Potentilla tridentata, Arenaria glabra, 

 Houstonia serpyllifolia and purpurea, var. montana. 



Roan High Knob and Roan Bluff rise at either end of this plain 

 some one or two hundred feet higher, the former being the highest 

 peak and being crossed by the State line between Tennessee and North 



