BILTMORE AND THE NEW ERA 153 
does not always come out of the remote wilder- 
nesses of the Balsam or Smoky Mountains, that is 
a technicality which does not disturb the pleasure 
the stranger takes in the delicacies that come his 
way. 
Related, in subject at least, to the forests are the 
nurseries and gardens of Biltmore for the propaga- 
tion of plants suitable to the region ; not only exotics 
but all those charming growths of the mountains 
that make the country itself so engaging, and many 
of which are equally adapted for use in other parts 
of the world, quantities being shipped to the North 
as well as to Europe; for the gardens and nurseries 
of Biltmore, besides supplying materials for the 
estate itself, also supply large numbers of plants to 
the outside world. These gardens and nurseries, as 
well as the greenhouses, are now almost entirely 
under the care of mountain men, some of whom have 
developed remarkable ability in working with plants. 
Besides the natural forests of the estate, and the 
nurseries and gardens, with their many choice 
exotics and native growths, a living book for the 
botanist, there is a botanical library which contains 
besides books several herbaria, among which latter 
is the collection of Chapman, author of the "Flora 
of the Southern United States." 
The first question asked when a stranger comes to 
Asheville, and again when he goes back home, is, 
"Have you seen Biltmore?" — and if he has not, it 
is his own fault, for the extensive grounds of the 
estate, covering some ten thousand acres, are open 
