Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-02-19
The TartarIan Lamb.

One Of the most curious plants Of the vee-
etaSle kingdom is the fern commonly Known
"a the Tartarian Lamb. Many wonderful
tales have been told Of it. struvs. Who
travelled through Russia, Tartary. and
other countries, in tho middle Of the seven.
teenth Century, gave one Of tho earliest and
best accounts Of this peculiar plant. He
says: "On the western side of the Vole.
there is anelevated salt plain Of vast extent.
but wholly uncultivated and uninhabited.
On this plain, which furnishes all the
neighboring districts with seit, grows the
BoFanez or Bornitsch, which has the shape
and appearance Of q lamb with feet, head.
and tail, distinctly formed. Its skin was
covered with white down, as soft "A silk.
The Tartars and Musoovites eateem il hieh.
", and preserve it with great care in their
houses, whore I have seen many such
lambs. A sailor who gave me one Of these
precious plants found it in . wood, and had
ito skin made into IN under waistooat. I
learned at Astracan, from those Who were
best acquainted with tho subject, sbat the
lamb grows upon stalk three feet hish !:
one part by which it is sustained is q Kind
OF navel, and that it turns itself round and
bends downwards to the herbage which
serves for its food. They also said that it
dries up and pines away when the grass
fails. To this objected that the lanauor
and occasional withering might be natural
to 1t, - plants are accustomed to fade at
certain times. They replied that they had
also once thought 80, but that numerous ex-
pe-iments proved tho contrary to be tie
fact; such as cutting away, or by other
means corrupting or destroying the grass al
around it; after which they assured me that
it fell into langaishing state, and decayed
nsenslbly. These persons also added that
the wolves are very fond of these vegetable
lambs, and that they devour them with
svidity, because they resemble in taste tho
animal whose name they bear; and that, in
fact. they have bones, blood, and flesh and
animals.
This wonderful tale of Strays, although
much perverted, IL based ON truth. There
is rude resemblance in the shape of the
plant to the figure of the animal. It is
covered by . soft downy substance, and
may be compared to a silky fleece, but
from which no under waist-coat could be
made. This fleece 10 ::of zeddish brown
color, and not white. Like the stems O:
other ferns, it 90 happens that they have
something of flesh color; and that the sap
is of q rioh, red hue, resembling blood.
Ferns often grow in barren soils and a.
these vegetable lambs are found on tho
salt plains, it is not improbable that in such
situations they are often eeen without grass
in their vicinity but that the herbage il
consumed by the fern, or the plants de7our-
ed instead Of lambs BY wolves, It Is needless
to add, are ornamental additions introduce
ed to suit the taste OF the narrator, and to
pander to the love Of the marvellous which
prevailed in the age in which he lived.
This plant was in much repute formerly as
a styptic, as it possesses astringent pro-
perties which are common to all ferns in .
greater degree than many other species,