Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1926-03-18

dome.
baisam fascicles, to raise funds to
care for children in the orphanage in
which there are sc.
We next took a passing look at
Cranberry, the iron mine which was
reopened September 1, after several
years idleness. The finest ore comes
from this mine, but it seems the
world was overstocked with it. No
county in all the state suffered more
than Avery from the long and fierce
drought of 1925. 1t looked really like
dead world. The heat was also phe-
nomenal for that region. The streams
were pitifully shrunken, springs dry,
trees on the mountain sides, partic-
ularly where their roots were near
masses of rock, had died by the hun
dreds. 1t was like a land of despair,
yet 1000 feet above sea level, for that
is the average of the entire county.
The writer saw the dead and dying
trees, literally by thousands, in other
sections of the mountains also.
We took in part of the Asheville
Bristol highway, a costly one, made of
possible by an immense amount of
blasting, fir it lies in a world of
stone, sometimes so white as to be
nearly binding. At Newland, the
| county seat, (the highest i'll the
south) we found a wide stretch of
territory with its once splendid for
est cut away; a cut-over region, with
no end of stumps. We wanted to go
to Crossnore, but the wy was block
ed by the blasting for the new high
way, so we headed for Linville town,
where in the flat valley We saw some
green grass, restful to the eyes, after
the withercd sort we had been seeing.
| The Linville River was very low and
bad lsst its wonted charm. We stop
ped at McRae's house, under the GA
very peak" of Grandfather mountain,
and $3.50 feet high, and looked for
flowers. Most were gone but the snow
queens lace persisted. (Some of the
mountaineers call this flower "Bee
Houses.") We found some fine ferns
in we'll shaded places.
The route lay along the Yonahlos-
see section of the highway, II miles
toward Blowing Rock. None of the
streams crossed by this road We're
flowing except one; the latter near
that queer rock known as the "devils
forefinger" We tarried a little at
the Rock house, inhabited at certain
seasons by the natives who gather
galax leaves, make baskets and dis
till oil from the bark of the birch
trees. These folks strip bark i'll many
cases so completely as to kill these
fine trees. Looking up from the road
way one saw one of the three peaks Of
Grandfather, with its fringe of dark
balsam (fir). The highway was all the
way over 1000 feet at least above sea
level; at some places mile (52SO
feet.) Beside it was the Gragg house,
with legs of chestnut trees of great
size. In older days it was wayside
inn. Further along was Blue Ridge
Adventist church, and then came the
stately mansion, facing Grandfather
of Elliott Daingerfield, Fayetteville
born and bred, noted artist. He has
been in poor health couple OF years
We reached Blowing Rock, where
nigh as it is, 1000 feet, the trees
were dying. The dust of the highway
was as fine as flour. We dropped OF
Boone beside the usually attractive
prong of New River but it had shrunk
until it was puny brook. In the
| meadows in which Boone (3300 feet)
lies we saw the scarlet mint, called
there "Beebalm," the high white
spikes of the black cohash, like silver
spires; the Joe Pye weed with it's big
purple flower masses called the queen
of the Meadow" there; queens lace,
white, pink and brown; the life plant,
called there "Jackscrew," out of
which much advertised patent med
icine is made.
We reached the conclusion that
Mrs. Nature would have done well to
let our Blue Ridge (the oldest of all
mountain ranges) stay at least 20,-
900 feet high, so as to catch the
clouds. We also decided that if the
glaciers had extended to North Caro-
lima, instead of stopping at Maryland
we would have plenty of real lakes.
We further agreed that it is queer
there has been so little use of the
abundant stone in housebuilding.
Watauga had killing frost May
,26, this year. 1t then had the drought.
Yet next year, no doubt, it will be