1877.] 
AMERICAIST AG-niCULTURIST. 
221 
Notes from the Pines. 
Spring Flowers— IV'e-w Japanese Persimmon, 
and Otfcer Horticultiiral Matters. 
What Is there in writing " in the first person 
I," that seems so attractive ? I write articles 
editorially on various topics, 
and it is but occasionally 
that any one asks to know 
more about them; but the 
moment I write from "T'le 
Pines," about matters of no 
greater interest. I am in 
the receipt of letters thank- 
ing me for this, wishing to 
know where that plant or 
article may be had, asldng 
for further explanation, etc. 
It has long been no secret 
that "The Man at the Pines," 
the title many correspond- 
ents have adopted, is the 
Managing Editor of the 
American Agrkulturigt. I 
commenced, " Notes from 
the Pines," for the reason 
that writing in the first per- 
son, allowed of a more free 
and colloquial style, and en- 
abled me to bring under one 
head numerous odds and 
ends that were not of suf- 
ficient importance for se- 
parate articles. The "Notes" 
have brought out many 
pleasant letters, and I have thus become ac- 
quainted with readers who would never have 
thought of writing to " The Editor." They 
have of late been discontinued for but one rea- 
son: writing in this familiar style requires 
more space to describe a plant, or an operation 
— in short, to give the same amount of matter, 
than the more con- 
cise style adopted 
for editorials, in 
whicli superfluous 
words are ex- 
punged, and only 
compact and "solid 
chunks of wisdom " 
are allowed. As 
many have kindly 
asked, " what has 
become of the Man 
at the Pines," and 
have indicated a de- 
sire to hear from 
him, I resume the 
"Notes," without, 
however, promising 
to supply an un- 
interrupted series. 
Bluets— Hon Btonia. 
Did it ever occur 
to you that much 
of our attachment 
to the home of our 
youth is due to the 
early spring flowers 
of both the garden 
and the woods and 
fields ? Few are so 
dull as not to be 
impressed by the 
change of seasons, 
and the most striking of all the changes, from 
winter to spring, is so distinctly marked by the 
appearance of the caily flowers, that even those 
Who care nothing (or aflect indiSerence) for 
flowers in general, notice, and are even pleased 
with, the very earliest. In each locality there 
are a few flowers that are always first, and in 
our rambles as children, we look upon these as 
sure tokens that winter is at last over. If, in 
after life, we live where the early flowers are 
THE JAPANESE PEKSIMMON.— (i)i0.5p!/rOS JTaK.) 
different, the season never seems the same; 
spring comes, but it lacks something of the old 
charm ; there are early flowers everywhere, but 
the advance guard of the floral procession is 
changed. The other day a young friend 
brought in a clump of " Bluets," — but he 
brought in more than that; he did not see the 
^mmf^'^pmi^^f^^''^^^^^^^^ 
A CLUMP OF BLUETS. — (lloitstunia C'lruha.) 
dim forms of long ago that the lilllc tuft of 
this most charming of spring flowers made 
visible to me. After the May-flower, or Trail- 
ing .iVrbutus, this was my special spring flower 
of boy-time. Indeed it is much more fresh 
and spring-like than that, which, beautiful 
though it is, has a kept-over look in its foliage 
which detracts something from the beauty of 
its flowers. The good Professor Bailey, writ- 
ing one spring from West Point, and enumera- 
ting the early flowers he had 
found, remarked that he did 
not enjay these, as he sadly 
missed the Bluets so plenti- 
ful around the town which 
was the birth-place of both 
of us. I took up a fine sod 
of the plant, boxed it, and 
by great good luck — for we 
had no expresses in those 
days — it reached him. I 
wish I could put my hand 
upon the letter in which he 
acknowledged tbe receipt, 
that you might see how a 
learned professor, of world- 
wide reputation, could be in 
ccstacies over this little 
flower that be loved as a 
boy. While the plant has a 
wide range — from Canada 
to tbe Gulf — it does not oc- 
cur even-where. It grows 
most plentifully in moist 
places, usuallj- forming very 
dense tufts. The slender 
stems are from three to sLs 
inches high, somewhat 
branching,and havingsmall, 
pale-green leaves ; each little branch is termi- 
nated by a small, 4-parted flower, sometimes 
almost pure white, but generally with a tinge 
of blue, and occasionally distinctly, though 
delicately, blue, which is darkest when the 
flowers first open. The plant is sometiaies so 
abundant as to completely coier patches sev- 
eral yards across. 
The engravinggives 
a good idea of the 
appearance of a 
luxuriant clump. 
With us, near New 
York, it blooms in 
earlj- April, some- 
times in JIarch, and 
-continues until the 
summer drouths 
come, though it is 
never so f. esh and 
pleasuig as at first. 
The name " Bluets" 
is perhaps more 
positive than its 
color will warrant, 
but is vastly prefer- 
able to another com- 
mon name some- 
times given — 
"Dwarf Pink." The 
delicate little thing 
has had a hard time 
at the hands of the 
bofiinists, who have 
given it various 
names, some of 
which, as Oldiiihia- 
(tiii, were out of all 
proportion to the 
si7.o of the plant; 
fortunately tbcy have found that it may 
properly retain HoiiMoni i, wliicli was given in 
honor of au English botanist, Houston, and its 
specific name, cceruka, refers to its bluish color. 
