Butte record., 1856-02-02
Autu,.lnaE FoI;age.

NAHSiiiiidt4' USES Inc AoiION ny ltlir Qt e
''Atnight there was just frost enough
to rouge the forest leaves, that bushed
brighter every day, until each tree
seemed to have caught a sunsets
glory"
Allow me to correct a very common
error in regard to atnibuting this va
riegated appearance Of Autamnal for
ests to the influence Of Frost. It IS
mi take, committed by two-thirds Of
all our writers. Thus traveller in
Wyoming valley uses the following
words: The varied trees Of the for
est, toEebed ly tao frosty fingers Of
death, were changing 5hlr cognten-
ancez before pa ing away. There
was standing one cloth, d in scarlet, ey-
cry leaf as bright and red from It's
crown to the ground, as if it had been
on FIRE; another was clad in a vesture
Of gold, and yet another, purple; and
these were ming ed with evergreen and
particolorod trees, making a strange
hued and surprisingly beautiful pano-
rama, such as tie eye took in with
new and constantly increasing delight
This description is very beautiful,
but it embodies the same mistake as
above signifed, of attributing the
beauty to frost.
A writer in a Boston paper has the
following: Jack Frost has swept his
enchanting wand across the country,
and the hills have been transformed in
to mammoth bouquets, and the valleys
reflect the hues Of a rainbow. Tn
annual autumnal festival has really
come, and every tree seems robed in
rich colors for the occasion"
Autumn is here with his pencil so elbow
Tlnting the landscape that nature has drawn
But, while he slumbers misch evous fellow,
Little J4ch Frost pufs the co}oring on.
It Is fact worthy Of note, that nei
thor Dir. longfeIlow, in his ode Of 'Au-
tumn,' nor Mr.. Bryant, IN his ''Au-
tumn Wood )" make this mistake.-
The former beautifully lng Of . spir-
it which breataes
Its mellow richness on the clusterel trees,
And, from beaker full Of richest dyes
Pouring new glory on the Autumn woods,
And dipping in warm light the pillar clouds.
And the latter not less truthfully de-
scribes walk in the woods
ERE the Northern gale,
The summe7 treSses OF the trees are goUe,
TIE woods # Autumn, al around our vale,
Have put their glory on.
THE mountains that Unfold,
In their vide sweep the coored landscape
round.
Seem groups of giant kings, in purple and
gold,
That guard the enchanted ground
But neither of these poets attributes
beauty and glory of the leaves to the
influence Of the fro.t. What, then,
as the occasion of the chages. IS
simply the ripeniagof the leaves, that
gives them their crimson, gold and
purple-just as the crimson blush Of
the peach, the purple hue Of the grape
and the golden appearance Of the ap-
pie, are the result, not of frost, but OF
the riDening Of the fruit. The frosty
fingers are, indeed, to fruit, and flower
and leaf, fingers Of death; but these
each and al nave a time to bloom, and
ripen, and die; and the leaUes Of ma
ny trees, as well a. their fruits, fade
and fall long before the appearance Of
any fro T. The leaves ot ome trees
are continually changing their co.or.
Thus C0wper ailades to that fact;
Not pnnoiced pass
The sycamore, c. pfi,iaus in attire,
Now green, nov wny AID ere autumn yet
Has changed the woods, in scarlet honors
bright
What Cowper here calls the ''syca-
more," is a species Of our American
maple,-which, if any one will take
the trouble to notice, they will find
changes the color Of its leaves two or
three times before it is touched by
frosty fingers
Professor Hitchcock, in his Geology
and Botany OF Ma,sachusettes, speak
ing Of the leaves Of autumnal foresta,
says:
''The change generally commences
as early as tie middle Of September,
and does not attain its full perfection
till after several frosts Of con ideable
severity. Tie change proceeds IN
douJtedly from an increased orygena-
ton Of the coLoring matter Of the
teares analogous changes being easi-
" produced in the chemical laboratory
by the addition Of oxygen to certain
compounds. as for example, the Cha
mellon Mineral"
The Professor does not regard this
change as a condition Of sickness oi
disease connected with the decay and
fall of the leaf; but rather as a more
advanced step Of vegetable life,-ar
exhibition of "Nature cending joy
fully in her richest dress into the win