THE P/ldERICP BQTflNIST. 
BINGHAMTON, N. Y., OCTOBER, 1905. No 
THE NEW JERSEY TEA. 
Ceanothus Anierkanus. 
THROUGHOUT the vast stretch of territory from Man- 
itoba and Ontario to Texas and the Gulf of Mexico, 
one of the commonest of the undershrubs is the New Jerse}?- 
tea. Unlike many of the showy wildflowers it requires 
no nice adjustments of shade, sun and moisture tor its 
growth, but on the contrary, with a complacenc\' that 
strongly savors of stoicism, it selects the dry woods and 
sunnv hi'lsj.i .'s as an abiding place and flourishes in the 
sun-bakol. sterile soil in a wav that few other plants can 
equal. It seems indissolubly connected with scrubby hill- 
sides, but in level res^ions it may also occur, especialh' if 
the soil be sterile. It seems to fairlycourt adversity in its 
selecti(m of dwelling places. Doubtless the secret of its 
ability to thrive under untoward circumstances is to be 
found in the roots tiiat penetrate the unfruitful soil, for 
they are covered with an abundance of nodules, the home 
of myriads of helpfu! fungi. 
At any time of the year the New Jersey tea is an inter- 
esting plant but there are two seasons, one about mid- 
summer, the other in late October, when it lays special 
claim to our attention. In early July it puts forth a 
profusion of its tiny cream-colored tlowers, cluster upon 
cluster from the summit of each leafy shoot, and for a 
time the least observant of ramblers must notice it. It is 
doubtful, however, if of all the multitudes of plant lovers 
that have seen the flowers a hundredth part have any 
