1877.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
221' 
Notes from the Pines. 
Spring Flowers—New Japanese Persimmon, 
and Other Horticultural 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 “ The 
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, asking 
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 Agriculturist. 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 sfrgje adopted 
for editorials, in 
which 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 aD un¬ 
interrupted series. 
Bluets—Houstonia. 
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 early flowers, that even those 
Who care nothing (or affect indifference) 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 PERSIMMON. —(Diospyros Kaki.) 
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 lie 
brought in more than that; he did not see the 
dim forms of long ago that the little tuft of 
this most charming of spring flowers made 
visible to me. After the May-flower, or Trail¬ 
ing Arbutus, 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 enjoy 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 the receipt, 
that, you might see how a 
learned professor, of world¬ 
wide reputation, could be in 
ecstacies over this little 
flower that he loved as a 
boy. While the plant has a 
wide range—from Canada 
to the Gulf—it does not oc¬ 
cur everywhere. It grows 
most plentifully in moist 
places, usually forming very 
dense tufts. The slender 
stems are from three to six 
inches high, somewhat 
branching, and having small, 
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 sometimes so 
abundant as to completely cover patches sev¬ 
eral yards across. 
The engraving gives 
a good idea of the 
appearance of a 
luxuriant clump. 
With us, near New 
York, it blooms in 
early April, some¬ 
times in March, and 
continues until the 
summer drouths 
come, though it is 
never so f.esh and 
pleasing 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 
botanists, who have 
given it ; various 
names, some of 
which, as Oldenlan- 
dia, w r ere out of all 
proportion to the 
size of the plant; 
fortunately they have found that it may 
properly retain Houstonia, which was given in 
honor of an English botanist, Houston, and its 
specific name, ccerulea, refers to its bluish color. 
A clump of bluets.—( Hovstonia ccerulea.') 
