Saturday, March 17, 1951

Left Arboretum 3:30 p.m. Arrived Washington
about 6:00 p.m.. Missed M. T. J[?]. Drove on to
just N of Fredericksburg Virginia. Night in Cabin.

Sunday, March 18, 1951

Drove through to near Laurinburg N.C. Spring
began at Richmond with tree breaking & quince
daffodils, the first crabapples etc. in flower. No further.
Advance was noted right across N.C. until,
approaching Durham, the grass suddenly became greener.
Spasmodic rain

Monday, March 19, 1951

A good early start following routes 501, 175, 52,
17 (through Savannah, 33 & 301 to Nahunta for
the night. Intermittent rain all morning and a
steady downpour in the afternoon slowed progress &
finally eliminated chances of reaching Florida. The
big thrill was the first yellow Jessamine gelsemium
of South Carolina which eventually became very
frequent. Wisteria is almost full in the Charleston
region. Asiatic azaleas about half out. It is
evidently a last season. No native azaleas as yet —
and the search was not inviting towards the end
of the day.

Tuesday, March 20, 1951

Leaving Nahunta travelled by way of Folkston Ga
on Rt 1 to Jacksonville, then 228, 301 & 24 to
Gainesville for the night. First Azaleas were seen in
bloom just across the Florida line at St. Mary's River
Plentiful from then on & several singles & 2 mass
collections were made. Some variations in size of bloom
& amount of pink color but on the whole they are
pretty uniform (canescens). Plenty of snakes & cat
briers & the swamps are very wet indeed with the
recent rains.

Mr. Roberts of the Pathology Dept Univ of Fla
showed me the Herbarium & extended an invitation to
an evening meeting where I saw Miss Lilia Arnold
& John Watkins. More rain tonight — also mosquitos in
the daytime!

Wednesday, March 21, 1951

Very wet morning spent with H. H. Hume discovering
azaleas, hollies etc. Saw a hedge of A. canescens at
the Expt. Station also some interesting plants in his garden.
In afternoon travelled via Route 24 244 etc. to Ocala
(limestone quarries) Moss Bluff to the whole length &
area of Ocala State Forest. Roads awful & nearly
got lost as well as out of gas. A high, dry area
up to 900 ft. above sea level. Not a smell of a
wild azalea all day. Night in decent cabin near
Starke

Thursday, March 22, 1951

No luck with Azaleas in Bradford or Union Counties
but found them in Baker on route 10 just after
leaving 23, none in Columbia at Lake City but
plenty (mass collection & photographs) on a narrow
sand road (136) just before striking the old bridge
(which should fall down at any moment) over the
Suwannee River at White Springs. After finding a
cabin in this town took a run back to the river to
collect a few more in Hamilton Co just off route
41. A perfect day. No clouds & warm. Bees,
bumble bees & butterflies were very busy on the
Azaleas. Just drying my feet after a log gave
way dropping me knee deep into a stream.

Friday, March 23, 1951

Breakfast at White Springs. Photographed Azaleas against the
Suwannee River & visited the new Stephen Foster museum — a
very pleasing job.

Travelled NE on US 41, S on U.S. 129; collected at the
Suwanee River. Then to Live Oak. Mailed plants to M.A. &
on via Fl. 51, U.S. 27 to Perry, Fl. 55 to Ga. line & a
collection. No Azaleas to be seen at all in Suwanee,
Lafayette or Taylor because in spite of many apparently ideal
locations. In the state boundary region they reappeared
very conspicuously with dogwoods on crossing the fall
line. The dogwoods stopped exactly with the drop in
ground level. One collection in Madison Co on a dirt
road E from Ashville. Retraced steps & followed
146 to Monticello for the night. Saw Azaleas just
outside Monticello but did not collect. It is becoming
evident that the Florida occurrence is in very localized
pockets which are often widely separated. If they are
not seen from the main roads there seems little use in
extensive search as was made on the southern loop of
the Suwanee R in Suwanee Co. Again the situation
seemed ideal but they were not there. It is perhaps
generally a little drier than the Ga boundary.

Saturday, March 24, 1951

Azaleas abundant in Georgia — travelled on U.S 19
to Thomasville, Ga collecting just N of Monticello, in Thomas Co.
& in a woodland abundance W of Thomasville on U.S. 84.
All apparently pure A. canescens. Took 111 S out of Cairo &
U.S. 27 & 90 to Quincy. Mass collect S of Quincy on 287
including a pure white & good pinks. Packed plants and
retraced to Quincy to mail them but the P.O. was closed.
Headed to Tallahassee for the night. Rather poor cabin
& poor meal for an Easter evening!

Sunday, March 25, 1951

Left Tallahassee via Fla. 20 to dirt rd.Sjust beyond
Bloxham. Azaleas abundant in Leon & Wakulla Cos.
even down to Sopchoppy. None, however along coast
or up length of Franklin Co. on rd. through High Bluff & Fort
Gadsden — except for serrulation in the Cypress sinks.
It is evident that Canescens follows the pine hills but seldom
gets in the flat woods of which Franklin & Gulf Cos.
wholly consist. Via U.S. 98 & Fla. 71 & 73 returned to
Marianna for the night, collecting in Calhoun Co. on the
way. Passed up plenty in Jackson Co. Fine day &
good cabin for the night.

Monday, March 26, 1951

From Marianna travelled on U.S. 231 N, turned off to
Slocomb (Geneva Co. Ala.) then on 12 to Geneva where
found the first austrinum in some beautiful yellow & tawny
colors. S.E. on Fla 185 found a large batch of
austrinum & mass collected & secured plants. Ivory shades
suggested a canescens intermixture. The golden yellows looked
just like pontica or flavum. Ended in getting only as
far as De Funiak Springs for the night instead of to the
end of Florida as planned.

Tuesday, March 27, 1951

Leaving De Funiak Springs took 187 toGordon &
Florala in Alabama. Returned into Florida on 85,
then cutting over Route 2 & down to Baker &
Crestview for lunch. The Yellow River lived up
to it's name being lined with masses of austrinum
which I collected fairly heavily. The high point,
however were the still greater quantities of
Canescens just before reaching the Yellow River.
Surely no other spot has so many Azaleas!
Noted, collected & photographed some interesting
pale yellows among pinks — evidently F1s of
canescens x austrinum. These were again seen in
the afternoon in the Blackwater Forest. The
afternoon ride was via Route 4 to Century & to
Atmore, Ala. for the night. Made good
in all the last Florida counties
Now for Louisiana!

Wednesday, March 28, 1951

Very little collecting today — chiefly had trouble
in getting off an express package of plants.
Finally had to dig up a quarantine inspector in
Mobile & sent the plants from Pascagoula. This
was travelling by way of route 31 from Atmore
to Mobile (nearly washed off the narrow sea pass to
Mobile with a strong south wind blowing) then, in
general, go to beyond Pascagoula for the night.
Spent quite a bit of the afternoon at Bellingrath
Gardens which were well worth seeing. Here got
the tip concerning good looking yellow Azaleas in
Jackson Co., Miss. which will be my first quest in
the morning. Mr. Hunt, the superintendent was
very helpful at Bellingrath

Thursday, March 29, 1951

Terrific downpour of rain during the night. The
gravel road to Van Cleave was half flooded. Inquiring
in that town found yellow Azaleas growing on the
"river road" where I eventually found a considerable
number — all much like those of Alabama. Collected
canescens in Jackson, George, Stone, Pearl River &
Hancock Counties travelling by devious poor roads
through Whittier Crossing, Wiggins, Silver Run,
Necaise, McNeill, Picayune amp; so to New Orleans
for the night including supper at Brousseau's
in the French Quarter.

Friday, March 30, 1951

Discovered loss of my gasoline credit card &
telegraphed the station at Van Cleave & have it sent on
to Silsbee, Texas. Hope it turns up! Ran back
into New Orleans for one or two pictures of the old
town — then on via U.S. 61 to Baton Rouge. Claire
Brown of the Botany Dept. at the State University was
away for the day. Their herbarium is poor.

On via U.S. 190 with sundry deviations
via Melville, Lebeau to Opelousas & Eunice,
Chataignier & Mamou to Basile but no Azaleas.
This country is bad — very flat & when not
swampy is cultivated or closely grazed. Proper
situations seem just non-existent. The change
came, however, at the E branch of the Calcasieu
River when the first small hills appeared &, almost
immediately afterwards, Azaleas. Am at De Quincy
for the night but intend retracing a bi in the
morning to collect at least in Beauregard Co. where
they must be abundant. A cool night.

Saturday, March 31, 1951

Backtracked a little from De Quincy to collect in the local
parishes — then headed on La. 7 for Beaumont & Silsbee.
Azaleas in vast profusion right across the Sabine River.
Collected in several counties nearby including a mass in
Hardin. They are not the same canescens as those of Alabama.
Much more glandular & one white had a faint yellow spot
which sent me back to the Sabine R. to search for austrinum.
But no luck & and no one seems to have heard of a yellow in
Texas. Also no luck with the credit card as yet. We'll
try for some more evertorly collecting tomorrow.