Evening star., 1928-04-01
PIcTURESQ
OLD MILL.

( the grass escapes from the surrounding
forest and fiauntS itself boldly.
He who camps on top Of Smoky must
carry food and bedding on his back.
So far as is known no one man has
yet traverSed the entire length of the
central ridge along the State line,
though sections have been explored.
Top o Smoky" as the main divide
is called by the mountain people. is
literally the tops OF many ridges which
branch of into North Carolina and
Tennessee and are Joined together by
cross ridges into one vast chain Of
mountains until 1t is often difficult TO
tell where one ends and another begins.
4 JOURNEY along the top of Smoky
= is fraught with enchantment and
change From one of the lower gaps,
the traveller climbs TO high rocky
peak covered with grass. laurel or sand
myrtle. One has not really felt the
magic of the Great Smokes until one
has pushed ones way through bal
sam forest, or a rhododendron thickst
TO some high peak and gazed out upon
"a stilled sea Of mountain billowS,
marching away to the horizon Every
where are mountains, tumbled and
masSed confuSingH. as II scattered
reckleSsly by some giant hand Out
standing. unforgettable views of the
entire park area are To be obtained
from Gregory Bald, Thunderhead, Sill
ers Bald on the Tennessee North
Carolina boundary line. and from
Mount lie Conte III Tennessee. and also
at numerous high points on the main
divide, as we'll as from the cross
ridges leading of from Smoky itself
The only human being the explorer
of Top o. Smoky" may expect TO meet
on weeks camping trip is one of
the herdSmeu taking salt To the sheep
or cattle that grace on the grassy baldS
In Summer,
In these friendly mountains one
may find trees native to the Southern
States and trees indigenous TO South
ern Canada growing within a mile OF
one another. Many hardwoods reach
their greatest growth and mXuriance
on these we'll watered slopes, where
are found the highest lying and larg
est left of all the hardwood forests
of North America,
Here Is the forest primeyal. the mur-
muring pines and hemlocks of which
the poet sings. Here. too, are oaks.
hickorieS. cheStuutS. ash. locust, wal
nut, huttcrnut linn. Eastwood, gum, elm.
hornhean, buckeye Sourwood, peawood,
cucumber blackberry. mulberry, noun
tain holly. dogwood, black and white
pine. maple, sycamore, willow, alder,
birch and beech, Wild cherry and the
yellow poplar or tulip tree the out
standing tree OF the Great Smokes,
growing to height of 80 feet and
reaching a circumference OF IS.
Everywhere there is INFINITE. entranc-
ing variety. not only Of trees but OF
shrubs Wild flowers, ferns, moSSeS and
vines According To Ashe and. AyreS.
there are i74 species Of shrubs in the
Great Smokes and 1877 species of ma
tive trees. A recent census by the
state forester Of Tennessee places the
varieties of trees at l02. while the for
eSts OF all Europe boast OF only IS diff
ferent species according TO one
authority,
On y single slope in single SUM
mer one may find anemoneS. trilliumS.
trailing arhutus, early flags. adder'S
tongue, hloodroot hepatieaS, yihur-
NUNS. wild geranlum. hydrangea, alum
root. bee baum, cardinal flower. Wild
orchids. Solomon'S seal. SolcInonsS
plume, st, Andrews cross. turtlehead
nodding pogonia. honeSet. galax and
heart leaf which. when crushed. has
a spicy oder, to mention but a few at
random.
The violets are especially striking In
the Spring and early Summer, both
as to kinds and luNuFlance Of growth
the eirdsfoot violet being especially no
table. HotaniSsS have commented upon