Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-09-28
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Eairer than Solomon.

cree, ever to assume the garb of mourning.
But, with that sole exception, they are
dressed in every hue and tint which the
eye of man is adapted to perceive, and
their splendor decks the earth with ear
pet of matchless variety. Nature shows
here, also, her wondrous skill in harmon
izing contrasts and blending colors which,
applied by man, would shock good taste
and offend the eye. In IN Alpine mead
ow, the richest mosaic composed of
thousand colors, there is not single i'll
mached shade, and in each single flower,
however variegated it may seem at first |
glance, the same sweet harmony blends |
ali the hues into picture of perfect |
beauty.
How arc these colors produced? If we
take tiny flower from the fields, and
carefully place a thin slice, cut from its
petals, under the microscope, we shall
find that the membrane, of which the
cells consist, is perfectly colorless, and the
whole texture appears, under the glass,
transparent and clear, the white color be-
| ing only the result of the refraction of
light, which gives the same appearance to
glass globes and goblets at a distance. IF
| the cells as sometimes happens, contain
nothing but air, the whiteness becomes
hard but brilliant, the flower itself APP
pears dry, and, when touched, gives out
rustling sound Thus, the bright, white
petals of some amaranths consist of color
less cells, filed with air. and formed by
stout, stiff membranes.
Not unfrequently, however, this liquid
is colorless, and yet the flower bears bril-
| liant hues on the outside. In these cases,
tiny globes are found floating about in The
liquid very much like the diminutive
bodies which circulate in blood, and differ
in each animal The larger the number
of these globules, the richer and deeper is
the color of the flower at first they are
all green, and hence the buds of all flow
ers appear green; then they assume a
faint hue, which gradually deepens, and
finally corresponds with the color of the
full blown flower.
These same green globules are found
in the cells of every part of a plant, and
are well known under their Greek name
of chlorophyl, or leaf-green. This deli
cate coloring mate rial has the remarkable
peculiarly that it never appears in state
of solution in living plant, but either
in the shape Of small grains, or globules,
! or as ribbon like stripes. The globules,
again, are sometimes solid, and then the
tiny aphere is filled with starch or wax
this is the case in nearly all leaves AT
other times, they are hollow spheres, CON
sisting of an incredibly delicate, colorless
membrane, but are lined with a thin coat
ing of chlorophyl; such globules are
found in the less perfect children OF Flora,
in MOSES, alge, and fuel In no instance,
moreover, is chlorophyl found pure; it is
invariably mixed with white wax, 10
which it seems to adhere.
This green coloring matter is, finally,
emphatically the offspring of light; plants
negotiating in the dark are pale, sickly and
etiolated Hence, the unpleasant appear
ance of the long and whitish shoots which
I potatoes will send out, when they sprout
in dark cellars If few stragglers reach
window-and they often make most
amusing and desperate efforts 10 reach the
opening - they Immediately turn green
and assume healthier appearance. Hence
also the heart leaves of head of lettuce
or of cabbage always remain yellowish OF
, whitish, and under the microscope, they
show yellowish globules; but is for such
observations light is Indispensable, they
often turn green during the time of exam
nation. The stronger the light in which
a plant grows, the deeper is its green col
: or: and this is the reason of the richie
coloring of all southern vegetation, whel
compared with that of the north 1t i
= the same cause which changes the tende
" green of spring, so welcome to our wear.
eyes, rapidly into deeper and deeper shades
: as the summer sun becomes more power
/" full and the days grow longer. When, o.
;, the other hand chlorophyl, which can b
easily obtained from plants, is exposed
certain chemical influences, it loses it
bright green hue, and generally become
colorless. The same process takes plac
in nature during autumn; peculiar stat
- of the atmosphere, combined with certai
changes in the sap, affect the chlorophy
hence the leaves assume their bright Ii
cry of yellow, scarlet. and brown. Nor
this the case in leaves only; but as CHI
rophyl abounds in every part of the plan
:; rip,ning fruits also, subject to simil
chemical influences, change the uniforl
green of unripe fruit into bright green al
crimson, purple and russell. Flowers al
u of course, not excepted from the geneI
ID rule, aud at the proper time they also e
ng change the modest green of the bud
* the brilliant colors with which their |
ig- tails are adorned.
These chemical effects are so well know
'r1 that they can be artificially produce
The beautiful pale of the campanula
en- our fields is promptly changed into p;
green by exposing the flowers to
en- smoke of tobacco The latter contai
alkaline salts, and hence the Transform
es ton. The same cause leads to the char
es in color which Elany flowers under
as they grow older One of the M
! striking instances is the familiar luz
zee, wort (P,.tmoadrio effcinatis); the flow
are, at first, light red or pinkish; Il
- they become purple or violet, and fins
I !. blue; single plants are even occasions
found which display all three colors.
ime so,, .han,,o +ates ,laoe i, tho flower
the common milkWort (E'ctium rulgdt
lier' and the European forget me not, unto
nately unknown on our continent, is a