| Summary: | Accompanying Journal Entry: "Walked over what Alcott calls Farm Hill, east of his house. Erigeron annuus, four feet high, by roadside; also Ranunculus Pennsylvanicus, or bristly crowfoot, still in bloom. Vide press. A fine view of the Connecticut valley from the hilltop, and of Ascutney Mountain, but not of Monadnock. Descended a steep side of the hill by a cow-path, made with great judgement regularly zigzag, thus: well worn and deep. Visited the graveyard and Colonel Benjamin Bellows, the founderís, gravestone and more recent monument. In the evening read an interesting pamphlet account of the Bellows family of Walpole, prepared by Dr. Bellows of New York, on occasion of the family gathering and erection of the monument. A large part of the inhabitants of Walpole are descendants of Colonel B. Bellows. The writer quotes from a paper in ìthe Cheshire Gazette of April 28, 1826,î ìunderstood to be prepared by our respected townsman, Dr. Morse,î Dr. B. saying first, ìA Mrs. Watson of Germantown, Pennsylvania, was alive in 1826, who resided in Walpole in 1762, then only 8 years old,î but she had a remarkable memory. He then quotes Morse, who states that her father came and built a house in Walpole in 1762. ìThe roof of the house was covered with bark, and the gable ends remained open some time, which enabled them to hear the barking of foxes, the howling of wolves, and the cries of the panther, while sitting before the fire. The latter resembled the voice of a woman in distress, and [seemed] [This word is probably supplied by Thoreau.] intended to decoy people into the woods, where the salutations of these roving gentry were apt to prove troublesome, unless prevented by the presence of fire-arms.î According the this woman (and Morse, ìa shad was taken near the falls which had a rattlesnakeís head in its stomach.î Dr. B. states that there is a tradition that the founder, Colonel B., once killed, on Fall Mountain, two bears and a very large panther, which last alarmed him considerably. According to Morse and the woman, ìa large portion of pin money was derived from the sale of golden thread, ginseng, and snakeroot, which were procured from their [the ladiesí] [Thoreauís brackets.] own hands.î This should probably be ìlands,î or the preposition, ìby.î In Alcottís yard, sprung up from his birdís seed, hemp, like common except fragrant. (So is ours.) These are the plants I obtained on this excursion: -- Solidago Canadensis. A. cordifolius. Urtica gracilis (?). Pear-hipped rose. Vitis cordifolia. Eupatorium ageratoides. Helianthus decapetalus. Solidago arguta. A tenuifolius (?), Frost. Hepatica triloba, leaves. Tiarella cordifolia, leaves and dried stem. Sium lineare (?). Urtica Canadensis. Phryma Leptostachya. Campanula rotundifolia. Polygonum Virginianum. Cornus stolonifera (?). Dirca palustris, leaves. A. miser var. hirsuta (?). Viburnum lantanoides, leaves. Acer spicatum, leaves. Ribes cynosbati, in fruit. Taxus Canadensis, in fruit. Solidago Muhlenbergii. Tussilago Farfara, leaves. Epiphegus Americana. Equisetum scirpoides. Veronica Americana, not in flower. Nabalus altissimus. Oxalis Acetosella, leaves. Viola rotundifolia (??), radical leaves. Erigeron annuus. Polypodium Dryopteris, in fruit. Heavy scented plant. Gerardia tenuifolia. Platanthera orbiculata (?), out of bloom. Tufted and divided leaves on mountain. Aster, longifolius-like, on Island. Asarum Canadense, leaves. Panax quinquefolium, in fruit. Clinopodium vulgare. Liparis liliifolia, not in flower. Red-stemmed willow at Bellows Falls. Solanum nigrum, Walpole. Purple Polygala verticillata, Walpole. Ranunculus Pennsylvanicus, Walpole. Cannabis, a fragrant kind, Walpole. Also these were given me, pressed by the browns: -- Dentara diphylla. Viburnum lantanoides, in flower. Trillium erectum. Epigaea (fairer than ours). Sanguinaria Canadensis. Erythronium Americanum. Arabis laevigata. Viola rostrata. Panax trifolium. Pulsatilla patens, leaves. Tussilago Farfara, without leaves. A. Ribes. Hepatica triloba. H. acutiloba, leaves (flowers same?). Mitella diphylla."
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