234 



The Plant World. 



whit less attractive than the brighter one of the mid-summer 

 bloom-time. 



A short ride from Hannover brings one to Lehrte, a junction 

 point whence the railroad leads northward across the heaths to 

 Hamburg. To avoid the railroad we left the main line at Celle, 

 and proceeded to Bergen, the end of a branch line. Here is 

 heath country on every hand. A pleasant walk of a day from 

 Bergen brings the wanderer again to the railroad, at Soltau or 

 Kallingbostel. We ehcse the latter goal for our wanderings. 



Fig. 3. Sandy way across the Heath. 



The road leads out from the little, scattered hamlet of Ber- 

 gen, sandy, and uncertain of direction, like a road from some 

 village in the New Jersey barrens. Beyond the village a number 

 of farms were passed. The roadsides were largely heather- 

 covered, and patches of the European cranberry were common, 

 bearing green, but already edible fruit. This plant, the German 

 " Preiselbeere," or kronbeere, Vaccinium Vitis Idaea, (occurring 

 also in northeastern and northwestern America), plays much 

 the same role here as does the wintergreen, Gaultheria, in Michi- 

 gan. It seems to take the ground much more rapidly than 

 Calluna, thus quickly occupying cleared spots at the roadside 



