Evening star., 1939-09-17
The Travellers Notebook
Mature Puts Her Brush to the Palette
To Paint Autumn Forests for
The Late Vocotionist

When events in September con-
spire to bring an end to the summer
vacation season-for then the beach
winds begin to chill, the business
world shuffles its papers in sober
preparation of getting down to
business" and the school routine
eddies into thousands of Washing
ton homes-Nature, as If to win
back her children from their hearth
stones. touches her brush to her
palette to paint her most spectacu-
lar scene. In Canada and in the
northern tier of States and in the
highlands below the Mason Dixon
line, too, the parade of flaming
foliage has begun to march south
ward and down the mountain
slopes.
The tide of color already has en-
veloped the late vacationists who
remained in Quebec Province for
the early show and is rising through
the New England States, according
to the State entomologist of Maine,
at rate of about 100 miles a week.
For DR.. Henry B. Peirson of Au-
gusta, Me, reveals that it takes
about three weeks for the color
change to progress from Madawaska
to Kittery, a distance of a little
more than 300 miles. Buck Hills
Falls, Pa, long ago began to drama
tie the season of arranging spe-
cial events for late resort guests.
There the flaming foliage season is
to begin September 20 with a pro-
gram of group horseback rides, out
door steak roasts and clambakes
and deer spotting trips lasting well
into October. A bit closer home, in
the Shenandoah National Park of
nearby Virginia, scattered tints on
the trees already have sounded the
curtail call on a show expected to
open this week, according to ]. R.
Lassiter, superintendent of the park.
Beautiful as is the Shenandoah
during the spring, winter and sum-
mer months, Mr.. Lassiter believes
that IN autumn, when the foliage of
the trees and shrubs covering the
Blue Ridge Mountains are in blaze
of color, the park is at the height of
its beauty.
1T is around September 20 that
nature touches her brush to the can
vas, with the peak of beauty coming
between october 10 and TO-" he re-
ports. "The gold first appears in
the coves of the higher reaches.
Then are blended with swift strokes,
over-spreading splashes of crimson,
orange and brown until the noun
tains, ridges and holloWs are trans
formed into wave after wave of color.
Thereafter, when color recedes on
the heights, one witnesses from the
Skyline Drive the unfolding of the
same tone poem in the hollows and
valleys below, which usually lasts
through early November
This year there will be new ter
ritory for exploration for those who
Join the annual trek of thousands
from all over the United States to
witness the unusual spectacle, for
the new 40-mile section of the park
from Swift Run Gap to Rockfish
Gap, near Waynesboro, will be open.
This is an area distinctly different
from the north and central sec
tions."
The beauty of the autumnal wood
lands has contributed large numbers
10 the fall vacation ranks, the Maine
Development Commission has found.
And what is natures way of bring
ng about the gorgeous show? DR..
Peirson explains:
Contrary to general belief, frost
does not cause the change in leaf
color from green to the multitude
If colors that are observed in the
autumn.