The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-08-21
CONCENTRATION.
SACRAMENTO, CaIsgAng&9,ls73

1I0er0 Is now III OlOOH III Illib Guy
the world renowned Century Plant
|! And it is a bona 1fde century plant, j
i not confined under glass with q scaff
d oiding around the outside tic accom-
q date its numerous spectators Anc
it has not a beautiful, white, waxIlikt
flower, like the plant exhibited in
/ Rochester Buffalo and Chicago d few
years ago. And it does not remain
in bloom, retaining IT'S fair color and
delicate perfume six months or more
) to accommodate its pFoprietors. . AL
of these characteristics were known
to the Century Plant seen By eastern
people in the cities, above mentioned.
j So that, although I am, sorry to de-
stroy the illusion, / can safely say
that the people were most wofully
1"humbugged." The Century, Plant
is SO called because it's supposed to
blossom but once in a hundred years.
That however is an erroneous idea,
for the one in bloom at presenai il, bat
thirty-six years old,an several plarts
have bloomed in San Francisco and
Oakland at the ago Of twenty-five.
A person here made the remark that
twas called the century plant because
it took century to- get over tie
smell! yIgi9,a graaoies.H .2rgd0 |
This plant stands IN She center GA
beautiful flower garden and towers
up grandly some forty feet above tae
ground. All the surrounding plants
and shrubs, yes, even the trees, seem
to look up to it with admiration and
aastonishment, to 5 see fons who has
stood SO. long silent in their midst,
spring up SO. suddenly and over top
them ALL Yet it bends it's head
gracefully as if begging pardon. for 50
.13~7' @HCiit"i III D- - 8f q ll#
oolnE .iaasD kaa sdsq au.AIaa. 3
1t is on the place lately owned by
Mr.. Hutchinson, formerly OF Kenosha,
and / believe, it was set out. by him.
The century plant is curative OF
the Tropics, but it seems to do we'll
in Cal, although, perhaps it does not
attain all of its native glory and mag
nlfcence here, ...~ .4o...r. ..te
s. 1t is of. the order Agape Arneri-
cana or the American aloe. The leaf
is very large, being some FIVE feet
long by eight or ten inchesjbrosd at
the base, ,tapering down to a point.
1t is thick and. fleshly, like the cactus
leaf, and Of a light, pea green color.
The edge is toothed and ssrrate and
ends in sharp spring. point. In one
species the leaves are striped a, light
yellow and-a dark green. This spe-
oies is Used a great deal asa foliage
plant, and centre ornaments in, a large
grass plot: The, leaves ak shoot d.
rectly from, the ground, like the tulip
leaf and spread around a eircunfer>
ence Of twenty-five feet or more. The
.blossoms starts up from the centar of
the plant. and resembles a gigantic
head of asparagus, both n color and
FORM d 1T grows very rapidly, having
attained the height Of f3rty1 feet in
less than three months. About TWEEN.
ty feet from the, ground the. bxAnches
or umbrels shoot out from the main
stalk and divide and sEbdiyide into
smaller branches,9 lon the ends of
which, are the blossoms properju And
such an insignificant flower to create
such a furore,r There is mo- beauty
whatever about it. From the base of
the petiole. to the tip Of the petal it is
about a finger long 81 an inch and a
half of this is takea up by a thick
Aeshy dark green sheath, in which
are enclosed the six staraaas and the
pistiill. =. Tt4sa petals are }of Is dirty
whitish color, continuous With the
sheath, branching out and ID, separating
about one inch from. the It lip Of the