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VOLUME LXXV? NO. 47 BOONE. WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, MAY 23, IMS PRICK TEN CENTS
Spring Flower Patterns Spread
Colorful Blanket Over The Hills
By MIRIAM HABB
Sprint is climbing to the
"roof Kittens" of North Caro
lina'* Blue Ridge and Great
Smoky Mountains.
Already decorating the moun
tain vacationlands at medium
elevations, the spring flower
pattern pushes steadily upward
to culminate in masses of
crimson - purple rhododendron
on mile-high mountains in June.
Western North Carolina is
called the rooftop of Eastern
America because it is the home
of Mount Mitchell, highest (?,
684 feet) peak east of the Missis
sippi, snd nearly 200 other
mountains of 5,000 feet eleva
tion or more.
Trillium, dogwood, hobble
bush, pink shell azalea, and
small ground flowers are bloom
ing now in most sections of
Western North Carolina. The
"Big Three" ? mountain laurel,
flame azalea and purple rhodo
dendron ? bloom at altitudes up
to 4,000 feet by the first week
in June. By June 15, and for
a week or 10 days thereafter,
the purple rhododendron in
Craggy Gardens on the Blue
Ridge Parkway is usually at
peak beauty, as is rhododen
dron on the higher slopes of
Mount Mitchell, Grandfather
Mountain, and the Great Smo
kies.
On Roan Mountain, 6,285 feet
above sea level, in Pisgah Na
tional Forest, the world's larg^t
natural gardens of purple (Ca
tawba) rhododendron usually
bloom by the third week in
June, continuing colorful thru
the entire month. The North
Carolina Rhododendron Festival
beginning June 10 will feature
a beauty pageant on the Roan
June 22.
The Blue Ridge Parkway and
other scenic routes through
Western North Carolina's "Land
of the 'Sky" are showcases for
dozens of different kinds of
flowers between April and late
summer. Along the Parkway,
dron and mountain laurel in
early June ace Dough ton Park,
Cone and Price Parks near
Blowing Rock, Linville Falls
scenic area, Crabtree Meadows,
and Chestoa Overlook. Flame
asalea at Kile-High Overlook
on the Parkway west of Ashe
ville is also colorful in early
June.
Shell-pink azaleas bloom pro
fusely in mid -May along the
Parkway between Mount Pisgah
and Soco Gap, particularly in
the "Graveyard Fields" near
Devil's Courthouse overlook.
The same area is bright with
purple rhododendron around
mid-June.
Early June brings a profusion
of mountain laurel, together
with rhododendron and flame
azalea, to the Doughton Park
area of the Parkway between
the Virginia ? North Carolina
line and Blowing Rock. Other
?real famous for mountain lau
rel are U. S. M in the Waterfall
Country between Brevard and
Franklin, and the Pink Beds
Recreation Area on U. S. 278
in Pisgah National Forest. Here,
laurel usually begins blooming
by early June, and continues for
10 days to two weeks.
Visitors to the North Caro
lina mountains are reminded
that the spring flower display
moves from medium to high
altitudes, and is earlier on
slopes facing south and east
than on those which face north
or west. Thus, flowers in full
bloom In one locality may be
just beginning to open is an
area only a few minutes drive
away. Trees at elevations above
5,000 feet are not fully leafed
out until late Hay.
Experiments Started
With Bell's Telstar
Experiments began last week
with the Bell Telephone Sys
tem's second Telstar communi
cations satellite, launched Tues
day, Hay 7, from Cape Canav
eral.
The new Telstar Is now in an
orbit ranging from 690 to 6583
miles from the earth ? almost
twice as high at apogee (great
est distance from the earth) as
Telstar I.
Telstar II, like its famous
predecessor, acts as a miniature
laboratory in space, reporting
by telemetry on 118 items once
every minute when commanded
"on" by a ground station. An
important purpose of the satel
lite is to learn how to prolong
the life of communications satel
lites in space by avoiding or
overcoming the effects of radia
tion. 1 1 ;
In addition, Telstar II acts as
? microwave relay tfttion in
tf* ee* relaying miorowave radio
signals for television, telephone,
and data communications.
Telstar U encounters less
radiation in orbit than did Tel
star I because of the new satel
lite's higher orbit at apogee.
This orbit, along with some
changes in the satellite itself,
helps overcome the effects of
radiation that disabled the first
Telstar.
The higher apogee also pro
vides longer periods of mutual
visibility between the Bell Sys
tem's Andovef, Maine, and
European ground stations and
some mutual, visibility between
Andover and Japan, where
ground stations are being con
structed. It takes 321 minutes
for the new Telstar to orbit,
compared to 138 minutes for
Telstar I.
Basically the same as the first
in appearance, the new Telstar
is five pounds heavier because
of modifications wfchiji
satellite."
Wool Pool
Contracted
The 1963 Watauga Wool Pool
has been contracted to the Top
Company, Boston, Mass., for
$80.78 for clear tied wool,
$80.80 for medium burry,
$44.82 for other rejects except
ta<i and $11.96 for the tag*.
The wool will be weighed and
shipped during the second week
in June. Those who signed up
will be notified as to the exact
date.
A survey is being made to de
termine whether sheep scabies
(Sheep Scab) is present in Wa
tauga County flocks. Dean
Witherspoon, West Jefferson,
hak been employed to do the in
specting. The survey is being
made in cooperation with the
County Agent's Office and the
Animal Disease Eradication Di
vision of U. S. Department of
Agriculture. All sheep owners
are asked to cooperate with Mr.
Witherspoon.
Scabies is a skin disease
csused by a mite which pene
trates the skin of the sheep. The
inflamation set up csuses itch
ing and loss of wool and results
in an unthrifty condition. It can
be controlled by dipping the en
tire flock.
Mrs. Tester Is
Dead At Age 72
Mrs. Dora Pearl Tester, 72,
of Sugar Grove, Rt. 1, died
Tuesday of last week at Wata
uga Hospital after a long ill
ness.
She was born in Watauga
County to John A. and Elizabeth
Moody Tester.
Surviving are a daughter,
Mrs. Claude Norris of Reese;
two brothers, Henry Tester of
Boone and Bert Tester of Sugar
Grove; two grandchildren; and
two great-grandchildren.
The funeral was conducted
at 2 p. m. Thursday at Antioch
Baptist Church by the Rev. Carl
WUsm aad the Rev. Bynum
Vlnfte. Burial was In the
0m* cemetery.
Highway 321 Bypass
Owned & Operated by Mr. & Mrs. S. C. Griffin
k: \ ? Jfc. ? . ? ?? *V
Something new and different In the Blowing Rock area, featuring the mo*t
complete selection of towels, sheets and novelty gifts anywhere
' T. . V:
Final Plans Are Being Made
For Summer T our Of Europe
Final plans have been made
for the summer European tour
conducted by Drt. Ina and John
J. Van Noppen of Appalachian
State Teachers College.
The party will leave New York
on June 10 and return there on
July 8, with such countries as
Italy, France, England and
Portugal being on the itinerary.
Dr. Ina Van Noppen has writ
ten the following information
concerning the countries and
places to be visited.
Ancient Rome made signifi
cant contributions in architect
ure and government and in law,
art and literature. The litera
ture of the Romans gave ex
amides and pointed the way to
man's appreciation of poetry,
satire, philosophy and the na
tional aspirations of the race.
The Roman Catholic Church
was the unifying agency of Eu
rope in the Middle Ages. She
said, "We shall walk In the
Forum where Caesar walked,
ruled, and died, and we shall
gaze with awe on the Pantheon
which has stood a perfect speci
men of architecture for almost
two thousand years. The Ba
silica of St. Peter and the Vati
can museum, halls and gardens
are an inspiration to all who
visit them."
Florence was the mother of
the Rennaissance. From Flor
ence it spread westward to Ger
many, France, England and Hol
land. In the architecture of the
Renaissance, particularly in the
churches, the sculptors and
architects sought to express the
ideals and aspiration! of the
people. Florence hu perhaps
the greatest art treasures in
works of Mlchaelangelo, da
Vinci, Raphael, Giotto and
Verocchio.
The college professor said,
"The whole spirit of the Renais
sance revered the works of art
and the literature of antiquity.
The Medici and other scholars
and patrons of learning collect
ed and cherished the Greek and
Roman manuscripts. The study
of these helped to continue the
literary tradition and influence)
the writer* of medieval and
Renaissance literature.
"In Florence one can visit
Dante's house and muse over his
romance with Beatrice; one can
see the manuscripts of Petrarch,
perhaps the first lyrical voice of
the modern world. It was in
Florence that Galileo, the star
gazer, was born. It was he who
took giant strides forward in the
use of the scientific method."
In Venice one can ride gon
dolas by moonlight, see master
pieces of Venetian glass and
historic San Marco and recall
Lord Byron's saying, "I stood in
Venice on the Bridge of Sighs."
In Verona one can view Juliet'*
balcony and in Milan be amazed
by da Vinci's "Last Supper."
Then there is Paris with all
its gay blandishments, its 80,
000 trees, its lovely gardens.
Paris was the cultural center of
Europe for more than a century.
The highlight of the tour for
those interested in English his
tory and literature is the five
and a half days in London, the
trip to Oxford and Stratford, the
trips to Canterbury, Stoke Poges
and to historic castles and pal
aces.
Ready For Trip
The John Van Noppens stand beside a mini
ature Eiffel Tower (Paris) on display in the
administration building a t Appalachian
State Teachers College. This will be one of
the attractions of their European tour. ?
Larry Penley photo.
*
Officers and Directors
H. Grady Farthing, President
R. C. Riven, Jr., Vice-Preaident
James Marsh, Secretary-Treasurer
Walter Greeie
H. P. HoUhonser
Gay Hut
Howard Mast
W. M. Matheson
Wayne Klchardsea