The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1868-07-19
THE CENTURY P1ANr-Agave Americana
ITS FLowERING, ETC.

Editor Morning Star and Catholic Messenger:
S1R-In looking over the MORNING STAR
welcome visitor in our community, find SO
many interesting notes Of rural life general
ly, but especially on horticulture or garden
ing, that perhaps some of the fair readers of
the STAR might be interested in a description
of one of the loveliest objects in nature, the
century plant.
When speak of fair readers, 1 mean to
say that / think the study of flowers
more adapted to females than to men.
They resemble them in their fragility,
beauty, and perishable nature. For instance,
the mimosa, or sensitive plant, may be
likened to pure-minded and delicate
female who shrinks from the breath of con-
tamination, and who, if too rudely assailed
by the finger of scorn and reproach, Will
wither and die from the shock.
A taste for plants and flowers Is the love
an enlightened mind and tender heart
pays to nature. It is q peculiar attribute OF
woman, exhibiting the gentleness and purity
of her sex, and every husband should en-,
courage it, for his wife and daughters will
n moral and religious point of view.
The study of plants by either sex natu-
rally leads to greater love and reverence for
the Deity. / do not affirm that it does, in
reality, always produce this effect, for, un-
happily, there are some minds which,
though quick to perceive the beauties OF
nature, seem blindly to overlook Him who
spread them forth. They can admire the
gifts, while they forget the Giver. But those
who feel in their hearts n love to God, and
of His power, can look abroad, and, adopt
ing the language of Christian poet, ex-
claim "My Father made them all!
Again, who is the man that has been con.
| fined to the business of the day, toiling and
laboring in the sweat of his brow" does
nvIOnr9tad
| takes his walk in the cool OF the evening,
with his happy family around him, and
marks the progress of his fruits and flowers,
or who that breathes the delicious fragrance
of the morning flowers, glittering with dew,
but can look up with greater confidence to
Him who has strewed with such liberal pro-
fusion, the evidences of his goodness to the
children of meng
Flowers have always been held in high
estimation by all persons of taste. We all
know that a more exalted parsonage than
the highest on earth called the attention OF
His followers to the beauty of flowers when
He said 'sConsider the lilies, how they
grow they labor not, neither do they spin ;
but say to ycu, not even solomon IN all
his glory was clothed like one OF them
Nature in her gay attire, unfOlds vast va
riety to the human mind, and, consequently,
has a tendency to tranquilize the agitated
passions, exhilarate the man, nerve the
4 imagination, and render all around him de-
lightful. The great Linnhus, when he hrs
beheld the uler eulopens-lrish whin-fell OF
his knees in a transport OF gratitude, ant
thanked the Author OF nature for thus beau
tifying the earth.
The century plant. then, is native o
$ South America, introduced into this State
s twenty five OF thirty years ago, and takes
, it's name from Geek word signifying adj
mirable, or beautiful. An idea used tc
= prevail that the century plant only lowered
c once in hundred years; but, independently
- - anti nf
:, intlorescence, it has long been known t.
!. flower sooner OF later, according to tn
1t culture bestowed on it. This is the secon'
o have seen in my lifetime, and l am no
- one hundred years old yet. The first thin
y. y. that attracted my attention on stepping Of
'f the boat, with bag in hand, (not a carpet
d bag was a plant that l thought had see
At before Immediately dOffed my hat an
- stepped back several PAGES. 1 thought {
my own native land, andin moment
u seemed to be there.
d But, alas, recollection Mt hand soon hl,
ried me back to despair. Here it stands l
full blow in the garden of Edward j. Ga!
~ Esq. Such flowers are SO rare that III
Il astonisled that they have not been mao
y; more public. Linnpus, the great classifi.
III of plants and animals, was wont to call I'll
l. palm trees :. Princes OF India" and Srlss'
&c .splebians.'' Then, why, if we are to haN
ic orders of mobility among plants, l see
u reason in the world why should not nan
u our plant Prince of Louisiana, as sma
OF men will certainly have their oddity as we
a as great men, and rice rersd Witho
at any doubt, sir, it deserves the epithet.
~ cannot compare it to any thing it so close
10 resembles as one of those pendant, luc
III apparatuses, or in other words chandeli
ms ms l saw in my friends store, No. AGA Magazil
~ street.
"a Scientifically described, the Agave Anne,
ey cana, (family Narcissi,) is a succulent pla
Is which grows in South America. Leav
u1 u1 radical, growing from the root, crowde
ar, ally to a pofat, channefed, bordered wi
ne, spinosa teeth. Scape, more than twcn
~ feet high, cylindric, rectilinear, vertic;
": with scattering, scale-like, oppressed leave
EN- :n Panicle simple, pyramdal. Flowers eret