Mountain Laurel Research Articles

Influence of Storage Temperatures on Long-term Seed Viability of Selected Native Ericaceous Species

Abstract Following harvest of capsules, drying, and seed extraction, seeds of Kalmia latifolia L. (mountain laurel), Leucothoe fontanesiana (Steud.) Sleum (drooping leucothoe), Rhododendron carolinianum Rehd. (Carolina rhododendron), Rhododendron catawbiense Michx. (Catawba rhododendron), and Rhododendron maximum L. (rosebay rhododendron) were stored for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years at −18,4 or 23C (0, 39 or 73F) and then germinated at 25C (77F) or an 8/16 hr thermoperiod of 25/15C (77/59F) with daily photoperiods of 0, 1 or 24 hr. Storage at −18 or 4C (0 or 39F) were most effective for maintaining seed viability of all species. After 5 years storage at −18 or 4C (0 or 39F), viability of L. fontanesiana, R. catawbiense, and R. maximum was relatively unchanged with total germination of 59%, 87%, and 88%, respectively. The same was noted for seeds of K. latifolia and R. carolinianum with total germination of 77% and 91%, respectively, after storage for 4 years at the same temperatures. Storage at 23C (73F) was the least effective for maintaining viability. After storage for 1 year at 23C (73F), germination decreased significantly for all species except R. carolinianum. By year 3, storage at 23C (73F) reduced seed viability of L. fontanesiana to essentially zero. The same occurred by year 4 for seeds of R. catawbiense and R. maximum stored at 23C (73F). Viability of K. latifolia also decreased under storage at 23C (73F) with germination of 14% noted by year 4. Viability of R. carolinianum did not decrease as rapidly as the other species when stored at 23C (73F) with total germination of 77% occurring by year 4. Regardless of storage duration, the photoperiod and temperature requirements for maximum germination of all species did not change.

THE ROLE OF RESOURCES AND PATHOGENS IN MEDIATING THE MATING SYSTEM OFKALMIA LATIFOLIA

We examined the influence of the leaf spot pathogen Cercospora kalmiae on reproductive success in self-fertilized vs. outcrossed progeny in the mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia). To explore the interaction between disease incidence and mating system within natural populations of K. latifolia, we ascertained the correlation between disease intensity and two measures of plant reproductive success (proportional fruit set and seedling survival) and partitioned the correlation by pollination treatment (i.e., naturally pollinated, hand pollinated with outcrossed pollen, or self-pollinated). For outcrossed flowers, neither the number of fruits produced nor the performance of seedlings from these fruits was affected by the intensity of disease damage. However, for selfed flowers, both the number of fruits and the performance of seedlings were negatively correlated with disease damage on the maternal parent. Consequently, fungal infection on a maternal plant was associated with an increased proportion of outcrossed progeny produced by the host plant. Motivated by the observed correlation between disease and selfing, we performed a manipulative field experiment to examine the mechanism by which disease could influence the fitness consequences of different mating strategies. We hypothesized that intense C. kalmiae infection reduced K. latifolia resources by reducing photosynthetic leaf area and, consequently, enhanced abortion of self-fertilized fruits more than outcrossed fruits. We found that artificial leaf damage reduced outcrossed fruit set by 17% compared to controls. However, artificial leaf damage reduced selfed fruit set by 31% compared to controls. Similarly, artificial damage did not significantly affect infructescence abortion in outcrossed pollinations. However, for self-pollinated inflorescences, those subtended by damaged leaves experienced a 44% increase in infructescence abortion compared to controls. We conclude that resource limitation, here by leaf damage, can lower the production of self-fertilized seeds relative to outcrossed seeds, thus modifying a plant’s mating system.

Kalmia: mountain laurel and related species

Mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia, is considered by many to be the most beautiful evergreen flowering shrub. Now in its third edition, this definitive book reflects dramatic changes in the number of cultivars and significant strides in propagation. It details all seven Kalmia species and more than 80 recognized cultivated varieties (up from 50 in the previous edition), 35 of which were selected or bred by the author, and includes history, characteristics, cultivating, and landscaping ideas. Kalmia is not an easy plant to domesticate, so gardeners will welcome the complete information to successfully grow laurel from seed, tissue culture, cuttings, and grafting.

Rooting of Apple, Rhododendron, and Mountain Laurel Cuttings from Stock Plants Etiolated under Two Temperatures

Dormant stock plants of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) rootstocks M.26 and Ottawa 3; Rhododendron `Britannia', `Purple Splendour', and `Unknown Warrior'; and mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.) `Ostbo Red' and seedlings were forced to grow at 18 or 28 °C in continuous darkness or 14-h photoperiods. Etiolated shoots were then acclimated to light with or without aluminum foil wrapped around their bases to keep the bases etiolated. Shoots forced in diurnal light were neither etiolated nor wrapped and served as controls for the etiolation treatments. Compared to controls, wrapping etiolated stems improved rooting of M.26 (60% vs. 82%) and `Ottawa 3' (81% vs. 97%) apple and of `Britannia' (76% vs. 90%) and `Unknown Warrior' (80% vs. 91%) rhododendron. Etiolation improved rooting percentage of `Unknown Warrior' regardless of wrapping. Regardless of etiolation, forcing `Ottawa 3' at 18 °C improved rooting percentage (92% vs. 74%) and roots per cutting (12 vs. 7) compared to forcing at 28 °C. Etiolated mountain laurel cuttings generally rooted best at 18 °C; control cuttings rooted best at 28 °C.

Response of Planted Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus L.) to Mechanical Release, Competition, and Drought in the Southern Appalachians

Abstract Conversion of low-quality, natural mixed pine/hardwood ecosystems, containing a mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.) dominated understory, to more productive eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.)/mixed-hardwood systems is a common prescription on relatively xeric southern Appalachian forest sites. We examined the effects of mechanical release, interspecific competition, and annual precipitation on growth of planted white pine in four 14-yr-old stands in the southern Appalachians. Two stands were mechanically released at age 6. No significant differences in biomass, basal area, or diameter were found between treatments for all species combined. Radial increment was significantly less during a drought year for both treatments. Height increment was less sensitive to severe moisture limitation than radial increment. Height and radial increment were compared to distance-dependent and distance-independent measures of competition for the nonreleased stands. Indices based on height and height/distance explained the greatest amount of variation in both radial and height increment. The influence of post-release severe drought may have delayed or diminished the response to release. The competitive influence of understory dominant mountain laurel at stand age 14 appears to be slight compared to the influence of other competing hardwood vegetation. South. J. Appl. For. 21(1):19-23.

Ruffed Grouse Consumption and Detoxification of Evergreen Leaves

Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) in the southeastern United States commonly eat evergreen leaves during winter. Despite their abundance, these leaves rarely make up >50% of the diet. We fed diets containing 20 and 40% mountain laurel (ML) (Kalmia latifolia) and Christmas hollyfern (CHF) (Polystichum acrostichoides) to captive ruffed grouse to determine the bird's ability to exist on these forages and to investigate detoxification of secondary plant compounds. Grouse consuming diets with 20% of test forages performed similar to grouse eating a control diet. Diets with 40% of the test forages caused reduced intake and birds consuming the CHF diet were unable to maintain body mass. Conjugate-based detoxification systems were stimulated by both test forages, although detoxification strategies varied between forages and levels of forage in the diet. Although grouse appear unable to exist solely on evergreen leaves, these forages probably contribute to ruffed grouse winter survival by remaining available during snow accumulation and by decreasing foraging times due to high intake rates.

Effects of Fire Intensity on Competitive Dynamics Between Red and Black Oaks and Mountain Laurel

Abstract We investigated the competitive response of oak and mountain laurel to prescribed fire on two sites in northeastern Connecticut. After nearly a decade, the competitive position of oak on moderately burned portions of both sites was little better, and in some respects worse, than on adjacent unburned controls. However, on portions of both sites where fire had killed much of the overstory, oak regrowth was vigorous and had escaped the dense mountain laurel layer. The results suggest that light understory fires alone are not sufficient for oak regeneration, and that prescribed fire should be used only as part of an integrated strategy involving harvesting of the overstory. Ecologically, the results point to the importance of severe disturbances in maintaining the structure and function of oak ecosystems. North. J. Appl. For. 13(3):119-123.

Effectiveness of Ethephon Treatments in Reducing Seed Set in Kalmia latifolia L.

Nursery production of Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.) often involves manual disbudding or deadheading flower clusters immediately after flowering, to stimulate the formation of one or several new shoots. Experiments were initiated on populations of K. latifolia `Angel' (41 plants), `Snowdrift' (17 plants), and `Hoffman's Pink' (37 plants) to test the effectiveness of single applications of 0 (water control), 500, 1000, and 2000 ppm ethephon in reducing seed set and stimulating new shoot formation. Ethephon was applied on 9 June 1995 when an average of 52.9%, 53.4%, and 27.3% of the flowers were open in each flowering cluster of `Angel', `Snowdrift', and `Hoffman's Pink', respectively. On 17 to 19 July 1995, data were collected for numbers of green seed capsules per flower cluster and the number of new shoots per plant. One way analysis of variance showed the treatments had highly significant effects on seed capsule numbers per flower cluster and in stimulating the production of new shoots per plant in the three cultivars. The average number of green capsules per flower cluster and new shoots per plant for each cultivar treated with 2000 ppm ethephon were: 2.2 capsules and 57.2 shoots in `Angel', 1.1 capsule and 40 shoots in `Snowdrift', and 6.6 capsules and 39.3 shoots in `Hoffman's Pink'. In contrast, the controls had 20.1 capsules and 2.8 shoots in `Angel', 22.9 capsules and 8 shoots in `Snowdrift', and 27.3 capsules and 2 shoots in `Hoffman's Pink'.

The influence of mountain laurel on regeneration in pitch pine canopy gaps of the Coweeta Basin, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Because of its dense nature, mountain laurel (Kalmialatifolia L.) understories may be retarding the regeneration of xeric pitch pine (Pinusrigida Mill.) sites in the southern Appalachians and thereby influencing successional dynamics. This study examined the impact of the laurel understory on hardwood successional ecology in living pitch pine stands and pine gaps at their upper and lower elevational distribution. The laurel understory was physically removed from half the plots; the remaining plots served as a control. The plots were inventoried and all seedlings were tagged and measured to determine importance values, recruitment, survivorship, and biomass for 2 years following treatment. The results indicate that the presence or absence of the laurel understory does not affect initial seedling recruitment, survivorship, or their relative competitiveness. However, mountain laurel does suppress growth of smaller seedlings. Given the higher importance value, recruitment, and survivorship of red maple (Acerrubrum L.), the regeneration layer in these pitch pine sites is currently dominated by red maple, with scarlet oak (Quercuscoccinea Muenchh.) and other xeric-site hardwoods as associates. With the adaptive ability of red maple to take advantage of openings, red maple will continue to dominate and ultimately regenerate these communities with other hardwoods as minor associates.

Histosols of High Elevations in the Tennessee Blue Ridge

Organic soils have been observed occasionally by soil surveyors in the Tennessee Blue Ridge, but most were not large enough to delineate as separate map units. An area of dysic, Lithic Borofolists was mapped in the Cherokee National Forest in Greene County, at elevations around 4,400 ft. The mapping unit was named Borofolist-rock outcrop complex, 20 to 50% slopes, windswept, and occurred in a frigid area along the crest of the Bald Mountains. These soils ranged from less than 10 to about 30 in. deep, and consisted of extremely acid fibric, hemic, and sapric materials overlying massive quartzite bedrock. Mineral soil horizons occurred in the lower parts of some profiles. The parent material was litter from rhododendron, mountain laurel, various ferns, mosses, and under-story plants. Although of small extent, this is an interesting ecosystem composed of fragile soils that could be destroyed if disturbed significantly.

Memories Hang in the Air Like Leaves on A Tree

Memories Hang in the Air Like Leaves on A Tree Kathleen PerryThe road was barely passable, taking to the creek and the steep bluffs in more than a half dozen places before it ducked past our gray clapboard house near the head ofthe hollow. It was here that I grew up in a family of eight, settled in so snugly that I thought that I would die from the closeness. Mom and Dad did the best they could by us, but it was an endless struggle from one year to the next to keep us fed and clothed. Their lone cash crop of tobacco would only stretch so far. I longed for the day when I could walk off that hillside farm and out of the hollow for the last time. I would shake its dust off my feet and never look back. Well, that day did come, when at age seventeen I married and moved clear out of the state. I hadn't given too much thought to going home again until four years after my mother died and our family decided it was time to settle her estate, which included the Menifee County hillside farm where I'd grown up. I knew I couldn't literally go back the thirty-odd years I'd been gone from there, but something inside me still wanted to try. I wanted to dip my cupped hands into that cold spring again; to retrace the old cow's path through the poplar grove; to smell and taste the cool air blowing through the spruces at the edge of the bluff . . . So I decided to visit the old rundown farm on Slab Camp Creek that held so many memories, where members of the Henry Sweeney family had been born, had lived and died—the place of my roots. I got into my car, and in a short time I was driving up Coatney Mountain on newly graveled road that snaked its way uphill to the back Kathleen Perry, Menifee County, Kentucky, is a recent graduate of the New Opportunity Schoolfor Women at Berea. She has written for several publications. 48 door of our little farm. I followed it until it dead-ended at a rusty, broken-down barbed-wire fence, which was our property line. This was the first time I had driven on this hill. No motor vehicle had ever been beyond this point. Ahead of me lay deer trail that wound around the hill and out of sight behind a thicket of mountain laurel. I got out of the car, looked around for a nice walking stick, and took to the trail. As I looked out over the eighty acres from my eagle-like perch, the word "awesome" took on new meaning. It was early spring and the trees were just beginning to come alive but hadn't quite leafed out enough to completely camouflage the deep hollows and ravines, the flats and benches, and the huge moss-covered boulders that lay sprawling near the cliff. Patches of trillium and other wildflowers dotted the hillside, and I breathed deeply as their sweet fragrance drifted up to me on an updraft. Squirrels scurried about on the pine-needled forest floor. A deer scampered off into the underbrush as a flock of crows caw-cawed in the distance. I walked the length of the meandering cliff that divides the farm in half, and laughed to myself as I thought of the perfect name for the land behind the cliff—the back forty. I got down from the cliff and followed one of the sled roads that was cut deeply into the earth by Dad's mule-drawn sleds. I thought of the hard work it had taken to farm this land with no modern farm machinery. A pair of good mules, a hillside plow, and a strong back were the tools Dad used. I picked a bouquet of wildflowers and carefully held them as I made my way around the hillside. I also picked some poke greens from the warm, moist earth at the mouth of the cave where we'd hung our tobacco crop to cure each summer. I was surprised to...

Predicting the Effects of Gypsy Moth on Near-View Aesthetic Preferences and Recreation Appeal

Abstract Using the Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE) approach, near-view color photographs were taken of 25 forested Central Appalachian Plateau sites exhibiting gypsy moth induced tree mortality from 6% (uninfested control site) to 98%. The slides were randomly arranged and presented to 400 subjects who rated the slides on a 10-point preference scale. Attitudes concerning forest management did not influence visual quality, while knowledge of the presence of gypsy moth damage had a negative effect. No differences were found between ratings of visual quality and recreation appeal. The final regression model explained 68% of the variance in visual quality. Tree mortality was an outstanding predictor, with linear and quadratic functions of tree mortality best describing the variability in ratings. Flowering mountain laurel and stand age also contributed significantly to the model. Scenic preferences and appeal for visitation increased initially as mortality approached 30-40%. Up to this point, increased sunlight, visual penetration, and flowering understory growth may have mitigated the negative effects of mortality. As mortality exceeded this level, ratings dropped sharply. We conclude that from the standpoint of near-view aesthetics or recreation value, gypsy moth suppression may only be necessary in stands where tree mortality is expected to be unusually high. FOR. SCI. 39(1):28-40.

Initial Growth of Seedlings of Mountain Laurel as Influenced by Day/Night Temperature

Seedlings of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.) were grown for 16 weeks under long-day conditions with days at 18, 22, 26, or 30C for 9 hours in factorial combination with nights at 14, 18, 22, or 26C for 15 hours. Total plant dry weight, top dry weight, and dry weights of leaves, stems, and roots were influenced by day and night temperatures. The night optimum for all dry weight categories was 22C. Dry matter production was lowest with nights at 14C. Total plant dry weight and dry weights of tops, leaves, and stems were maximized with days at 26C, but for roots the optimum was 22C. Dry weight accumulation was lower with days at 18 or 30C. Responses of leaf area were similar to that of total plant dry weight, with optimum days and nights at 26 and 22C, respectively. Within the optimal day/night temperature range of 22-26/22C for dry weights, there was no evidence that alternating temperatures enhanced growth. Shoot: root ratios (top dry weight: root dry weight) increased with day temperatures up to 30C and were highest with nights at 14 or 26C. Leaf weight ratio (leaf dry weight: total plant dry weight) decreased with increasing night temperature, and increased curvilinearly in response to day temperature with the minimum at 26C. Stem weight ratio (stem dry weight: total plant dry weight) increased with increasing day or night temperature. Root weight ratio (root dry weight: total plant dry weight) was highest with nights at 18 or 22C and decreased with days >22C. Net leaf photosynthetic rate was maximized with days at 26C.

6th international conference of the Inflammation Research Association September 20–24, 1992 The Mountain Laurel Resort & Conference Center White Haven, PA, USA

6th international conference of the Inflammation Research Association September 20–24, 1992 The Mountain Laurel Resort & Conference Center White Haven, PA, USA

Herbicide Tolerance of Selected Ericaceous Species

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the tolerance of seven Ericaceous species to 15 herbicide treatments. Treatment response was species dependent. Pre-M (pendimenthalin) at the 2.2 kg/ha (2 lb ai/A) rate reduced top fresh weight of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), flame azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) and Carolina rhododendron (Rhododendron carolinianum) while the 4.5 kg/ha (41b ai/A) rate affected these 3 species plus drooping leucothoe (Leucothoe fontanesiana), sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum), Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) and azalea ‘Hinocrimson’ (Rhododendron ‘Hinocrimson’). SWGC (pendimethalin) at 3.4 kg/ha (3 lb ai/A) reduced top fresh weight of sourwood, flame azalea and Carolina rhododendron. Goal (oxyfluorfen) + AG98 reduced fresh weight of every species except Carolina rhododendron. Snapshot DF (isoxaben + oryzalin) at 3.4 kg/ha (3 lb ai/A) reduced top fresh weight of mountain laurel and flame azalea. Mountain laurel showed a reduction in fresh weight for Pennant GR (metolachlor) at the 4.5 kg/ha (4 lb ai/A) rate. At the 2.2 kg/ha (2 lb ai/A) rate of Ronstar WP (oxadiazon), reduced Catawba rhododendron top fresh weight, however, Catawba rhododendron was not affected by the 4.5 kg/ha (4 lb ai/A) rate. The Poast (sethoxydim) treatment at 0.6 kg/ha (0.5 lb ai/A) + crop oil concentrate reduced fresh weight of flame azalea. SWGC at 3.4 kg/ha (3 lb ai/A), OH2 (oxyfluorfen + pendimethalin) at 3.4 kg/ha (3.0 lb ai/A), Gallery (isoxaben) at 1.1 kg/ha (1.0 lb ail A), Snapshot GR (isoxaben + trifluralin) at 4.0 kg/ha (3.75 lb ai/A), Derby (metolachlor + simazine) at 5.7 kg/ha (5.0 lb ai/A), and the ready-to-use formulation of sethoxydim did not reduce top fresh weight of any of the seven species tested.

Biogeochemical prospecting for gold-bearing quartz veins of the Piedmont, Great Falls, Maryland

A plant-soil chemistry exploration survey of gold-quartz mineralization in the Wissahickon Formation of the Appalachian Piedmont was done in the vicinity of the Ford Mine, near Great Falls, Maryland, USA. Leaf samples were collected from nine plant species available at 73 sites: Acer rubrum (red maple), Asimina triloba (pawpaw), Carpinus caroliniana (ironwood), Cornus florida (flowering dogwood), Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel), Nyssa sylvatica (black gum), Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern), and Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum). Soil samples from the B horizon (<0.15 mm size fraction) were collected at all locations. Seven samples of F. grandifolia and seven corresponding soil samples along one traverse across the mineralization, and two to three samples of other plant species, plus six soil samples along a second traverse (38 samples in all) were analysed for Au, As, Sb, Br, Na and K by the neutron activation method. All plant samples (150) and soils were analysed for Zn and Cu by atomic absorption spectrometry. In soils, high concentrations of Au (33 ppb), Sb (1.8 ppm), Zn (646 ppm), and a high K 2O/Na 2O value (9.6) were directly related spatially to a gold-quartz vein along one traverse. F. grandifolia had strong concentrations of Au (to 17 ppb) and Zn (to 104 ppm) and a high K 2O/Na 2O (to 136) value displaced downslope up to 140 m from the vein along this same traverse. Soil would be the best prospecting sample in these situations. Of the nine plants species analysed ( n = 25), one specimen of N. sylvatica of three analysed had the highest Au content (66 ppb vs. <0.1 ppb in the corresponding soil). Other high values observed were for V. acerifolium in both samples analysed (19 and 16 ppb), and for F. grandifolia in two of seven samples analysed (17 and 12 ppb). These species may be accumulators of Au. In the study zone, only F. grandifolia has a dense enough areal distribution so as to make it useful in biogeochemical exploration for Au.

Natural Regeneration Patterns in Even-Aged Mixed Stands in Southern New England

Abstract A regeneration survey in southern New England in three different cover types indicated that most of the seedlings present were less than 19.7 in. in height. Although red oak was a principal component of the overstory, it represented a small proportion of regeneration. Black birch and red maple were common regeneration components. There was a general relationship between overstory density and the amount of regeneration. To obtain natural regeneration, a general broad optimum range of overstory densities between 20-80 ft²/ac of basal area is suggested. Successful red oak and sugar maple regeneration was obtained with overstory densities of these species between 20-40 ft²/ac. A higher proportion of these species did not result in more regeneration. White pine regeneration was closely related to the amount of white pine in the overstory, however. The density of mountain laurel seemed to have little effect on the establishment of regeneration. The greater the length of time since last harvest, the more oak seedlings would be present in hard-wood stands. The opposite was true for red maple, black birch, and hemlock. North. J. Appl For. 7:163-168, December 1990.

Mycorrhizae, survival and growth of selected woody plant species in lignite overburden in Texas

Seedlings of live oak ( Quercus virginiana (Mill.)), Chinese tallow tree ( Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb.), and Texas mountain laurel ( Sophora secundiflora (Ort.) Lag.) were inoculated with either ectomycorrhizal fungi ( Pisolithus tinctorius (Mich. ex Pers.) Ckr. and Couch) or vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM/endomycorrhizal) fungi ( Glomus fasciculatum (Thaxter) Gerd. & Trappe, Gigaspora margarita (Becker & Hall), and Glomus mosseae (Nicol. and Gerd.) Gerd. and Trappe) in a containerized system and transplanted into lignite overburden at two separate mine sites in the Post Oak Savannah region of Texas. Ectomycorrhizal Q. virginiana and endomycorrhizal S. sebiferum exhibited greater growth, and endomycorrhizal S. secundiflora showed greater survival and growth than noninoculated controls. Overburden at one site was low in P, while the second site was moderately high in P; however, root colonization levels of inoculated plants were high at both sites, while non inoculated plants had low levels of colonization. Both ecto- and endomycorrhizal fungi enhanced growth of the three woody species in these nitrogen-deficient overburden sites, independent of overburden P.

The Leaf Lookers Versus the Porch Setters

by Fay Powell The Leaf Lookers Versus the Porch Setters Dillsboro was overrun with tourists, and I was in the middle of all the busyness . I had visitors, and what do you do with visitors in autumn, but take them on the newest tourist trap—the scenic train ride. So here I was in Dillsboro on this sunny afternoon waiting to have my train ticket punched by the friendly, whitehaired conductor. He was as wiry as a wire-haired terrier in his efforts to placate the passengers, while guarding the entrance to the 1930 maroon Pullman car. Some children were so excited that he had to hold them off by their shirtsleeves to keep them from entering first. Finally, the engineer gave the signal, and the conductor shouted, "All aboard." The Great Smoky Mountain Railway excursion had started. Grateful to find an available seat, I was annoyed by the dirty window and promptly tried to pry it open. After jiggling and knocking it, I was able to lift it and let the crisp fresh air in. The car was smelly with smoke, oil, and dirt from many years of service. I wiggled 64 on the hard, upright passenger seat trying to get comfortable for the slow excursion around the mountains. My fellow passengers had settled down, and I remembered what the natives called these autumn tourists—"Leaf Lookers." The Leaf Lookers were all ages, sizes, and nationalities. Most of the tourists were from large, prosperous cities and, judging from conversations drifting back to me, they had never visited this part of the country before. They had little knowledge of the Southern Appalachian folk and the hardships involved in living in these mountains. Bryson City was thought by some to be a touristy type town with clever shops and gourmet restaurants. I wondered if anyone knew that Bryson City had the highest unemployment rate of the state and was the poorest county seat in North Carolina. The whistle blew several times to clear the tracks, and the train started its journey . The train tracks are laid beside the meandering Tuckaseegee River, and it follows the same trail that the Cherokee Indians took hundreds of years ago in their wanderings on the other side of the mountain ridges. The river was swollen up to its banks from all the recent rains, and the rushing water over lichen-covered rock croppings created large white caps that flashed in the sunlight. The click-clacking train wove in and out between the mountain passes in its route following the flowing water of the roaring river. While the train crossed an old trestle over the river, I held my breath until the train was safely on the other side. Glancing into the deep ravines of tall mountain laurel and rhododendron bushes, I imagined that brown bears must be harboring there. The mountains were fast changing colors, and the tall pines on the ridges were mixed with showy gold birches and red oaks. The sarvis bushes, along with the sumacs, had turned to dark wine. The dogwoods' withered leaves were hanging on their gray branches leaving the red berries for the winter birds. The Leaf Lookers were in their element, and they readied their expensive Japanese cameras with attached zoom lenses for the assault on the mountain landscapes. Every region has its particular colors, and the Leaf Lookers gloried in the shades of this special region as the train traveled through the coves and gaps on its way. There was an unexpected shock as the train passed from the vivid landscape and bright sunshine into pitch darkness. The train had entered a tunnel. The screams of the younger passengers were met with laughter by a few. This was the tunnel that men had lost their lives in while dynamiting through the hard rock mountain. Their bodies had never been recovered, and this tunnel was their tomb. The dark passenger car felt damp. Observing the rock walls as the train crept into the light again, I noticed water dripping down the moss-covered stone walls of the tunnel. An underground stream was also trapped within. At the village of Whittier, a ramshackled , two-storied house was sitting close...

The Story

The Story by Laura J. Underwood '"Your brother Foley up and left rae!'" Mama said, imitating my late Aunt Velma to a tee. "That's exactly what she said, the old bat!" Mama's tirade broke my concentration just as I was about to display my literary talents on a piece of white paper begging for words. It never fails. At this rate, I may never make a name for myself as a writer. Every time I start a story, my Mama's got a yarn of her own to spin. As it is, she's told me this one half a dozen times since Aunt Velma passed on at the state instititution. I sometimes think Mama has a secret desire to be a writer herself. There's nothing wrong with that. I just wish she'd let me finish one of my stories. Mark you, she's never tried to discourage my efforts. Ever since I won that short story contest in senior high eight years ago, Mama has gone around bragging to all her friends about "my daughter, the writer." I went on to college and got a degree in library science, and now I work part time for the college library. It was the only job I could find that would allow me enough time to 46 write. Unfortunately, it doesn't pay enough to let me have what Virginia Woolf described as "a room of one's own." I still live at home with Mama and memories of Pap, who died last spring of a heart attack, and that means I get to listen to all her stories-especially the ones about Aunt Velma. "The day Foley married that woman, I knew she d bring him nothing but misery ." Mama went on. Her voice had an echo, bouncing off the high ceilings of the house and filling the dining room where I was trying to get my mind together to write something-anything! "I told him so right up to the day of the wedding. I said Velma Crutch ain't nothing but a saucy mouth on fire. She's wicked through and through, but Foley wouldn't listen to me-not once!" She never understood how people could be so insensitive, when all she was trying to do was give them the benefit of her sage advice. I had long ago quit trying to tell her so. I just laid my pen across my tablet and stared out of the dining room window at the East Tennessee foothills. The mountain laurel was starting to bloom. "Anyway," Mama said. "When Foley didn't call me on Tuesday night-you know he'd always call me every other Tuesday-I got worried about him. I called over there, and Velma said he wasn't in, and I told her to have him call me. She was mean like that." Mama was right there. Aunt Velma had possessed a temper like a rattlesnake , always lashing out at anything that dared to disturb her. I remember a few of her tantrums, like the Christmas when I was about six. Uncle Foley had sampled too much of Granny's eggnog and made some little comment about Aunt Velma's posterior taking a hike from a size eleven to a size fourteen, all in one summer. She was pretty tall to begin with, and the extra weight actually complimented her scarecrow figure, but that wasn't the way she took it. She actually threw her eggnog, cup and all, at Uncle Foley and left a right nasty cut on his mouth. What surprised a lot of folks was the fact that Uncle Foley sort of lost his color and muttered an apology to her. Later, I heard my Pap's brother John making rude cracks about who wore the pants in that family as Aunt Velma practically dragged Uncle Foley out of the door and shoved him into the car so he could drive her home. "Naturally, I decided the only way I'd get to talk to Foley was by going over there in person," Mama said. "So I did, and I want to tell you right now that I...