, 1876-05-06
SPARKS OF SCIE 6CH.

SPARES OF sCIF.. ..fCE,
The r1c'nA ROUND Aeo'Jr ontcaoo~rHe
POPPY. FumiToRr. Ah1 PuRsLANE FAmi.
One Of tho prottls't - vol Is tho earliest,
OF sne via nowere '>aAt adorn our woodlands IL
sns b'oodroos tsd~9utndred C0nadens1sl. It is
the on'y fopfesonssave OF its fsuily--whtch Is
smsl-that grows In our vicinity. In the rarlr,ss
! at Glencoe. and On tho east bank Of tho Do6.
planea Mt Hsetsfae, Il may 10 found In the tlra.
mild dam OF spring. opening i.a petals It tho
warm touch OF The nunsfiYe. II is luyoly
loWer' WITH a osfclo OF narrow. snowy petals In.
eloe'hR MaRa OF golden staneus. The two
green eopass Crop aa soop "a the blossom or.
pnnds, md tho petals themselves hayo y trying
haott or UllluR at an carly stage, often cruelty
disappointing the collector who teioices Ia tho
] beAutY OF bis prize. Tho purs, stainless bios
som u, far nicer to hsvo than to hold, however,
for tho orauge-rod Juice OF the broken stem
ronrs frsc sldo over tho fingers. It is from
This sangu!usry discharge tint tho plan. derives
It's popular and scientific names. Tia Blood
root has a round. lobed leaf, which, like tho
| flower, cprnga directly from tho loot.
| There Ia 4 resemblance 10 tho Poppy IN ve,t-
Gus features Of the B!oodroos, which betrays In
alliances. Tho Eechoscholtzias, and the differ
snt species Of Poppies cultivated In our g.rtlous
aro ita own cousins. There arc about $50 $40.
csoa In the whole fsmtly Of tho Paporeraeen, ard
tho grcater part Of thos> nse natives OF Europe,
Eight spo:les are enumerated by Gray In BIT,
Flora and NIX out OF tho eight have been intro
duced from foreign lands.
| Inc moss important species In the order Ia tho
Opium Poppy. or White Poppy (F. sonnt tferun1),
rhose oslg!nAl home il non unknown. II Is
largely cultivated Ia Europe for tho eako OF tho
OIL Yielded by rs seeds, Which is as sweot and
wholesome ~ oiiye-osl. Indeed. It Is extensively
used to Aduiterats ollvc-oti. and In Frauco is
empioyea quite As much - III article OF
food. Tbs narcotic psore,ses belonging to tho
n'lIy Juices Of the plant arc not preaeut in tue
eoetS, aod henoo do not effect tho oil expressed
from them. 4 variety Of tho White Poppy nhicn
has dult-red flowers is chiefly cultivated for oil,
but not to tho e1clusion Of tho original species.
D!nofAnt Varieties Of tho r. soM"iTtrum nro
cult.7a ted for the opium they yield. Tile Ncd
ps poppy ia generally Grown +, tug mountainous
plata Of DonEal. whore tho great hod.. whon
~ Blossom. resemble. according 70 Dr. Hooker.
| =, reen lakes studded with whtto wutor-liiles."
no Oriental Poppy (p. oraentaie). .whoae
IL our aowes beds, grows wild In Armoola and
| the Caucasus. ln England, tile common led
Poppy (I'. rhea*s) intests the corn-llelds aud
cultivated grounds, and IL a troublesome weed.
Everybody who knows anything OF our gar
don-noHera is acquainted with the beautiful
Dcly.ra Spertat,is. whose long, dropping r.
comes Of pink, heazt-shapod. bag-liko flowers
form 10 pleasing Hi accompaniment to the spring
bouquetA Of Fleur- DOLLS, poony, aud buow-
Bail, Yet very few know that Ill the woods we
hnvo two specie8 OF wild flowers very closely re-
lated to thls handsome oxosc, aud. though
mora diminusise aud Understanding, quite
gathered tn full bloom. At Calumet,
| Aud along tho Desplaines liver, tho Ucehra
Cucuaas1a. OF Dutcnman's Breeches "a It is
oommon'y called, IL abundant; Eud, in similar
nj lyY1OF Nt41 1r1fn tI,h
adc1as's may bo fouEd Tho ft!iage OF tllo two
p!antA is nbout tue same, boiug tluoly divided.
aud very graceful and teatherY; md tue Iowots
40 don. not aiiisr Ereat!y. u tho tlEs..namod, sho
crost lie ttuRed with yelow; iu tho last-named,
the flowers aro simply hesrt-shspod, are OF
peazly hue. and havo o delicious fragrance:
Another ktntrod spociou the Climbing Fumi-
| tory (AAlumla cit,AUsa) ErowB near Lincoln
Park but thlH IL probably nut nAlvo to tho soil,
only stranger that has becu brought from,
ott1or partA, aud LES taken kindly 10 its new
surroundings. 1t IL 4 delicate, elegant climber,
With no.e1t foliage aasl p4piclos of ulnall wits
| or l1ur ile-tinRed tiowdfs,
The Fuinitory family (fumariacen}, is not
large, embracing only llo species. Noz docs it
species occur within tho States Included IN
GIAy'H Flora.
1n the groves and woods round about, The
Spring beauty (ClaHtonta Firglnlta) Ia now 1T ita
1t is ono Of the fsirest that drop from tue hand
OF Sps,ng 81 ehe scattera her bouutios over the
Garth. 1t may readily bo recognized. With iss
two long. euccnlont. narrow loRyos, botween
which tho smooth. shining stom Of pink-voinea
flowers uprlB.s. Il is peculiarly dnluty paut,
woll loved by every totauiBt with heart opan 20
the influences OF 1are md perfect grace. Tho
c. Caro!lniaHa, species With broader leaves, il
sometimes ohseryod ~ our vicinity. Amoug the
sands ~ Miller's Station, nloug from June 10
August, the Ta.snuna eretifolittm grows quite
abuudantly: It IL . tiuy plant. NTH dosly,
neeaso.l.ko leaves, aud eyme Of pink blossoms
hbove ths ground. In wuste places
iu midsummer, tho J'ortulacca o'eraced will bo
seen quite conmonly. tts popular hano.
rufsiaue, has been per7ested into Pursloy. aud
thus tho weod Ia known to many pereoua. Il 's
almost the only plant III tho order that serven
nuy use. aud that il tho humble one Of q pot
harb. Iu Siberia, tho tuberuus roots OF tho
ttdytonia tuttros0 Rro employed as Ill article Of
food. Tho shuwy flowers Ut tho Forlui0nn
granduEora aro among the gaycst ornaments Ut
our borders, yet their beantes arc too !iuctni;
to give puro satisfaction The genus tatrad."u
furnishes us with soi'e lghy-estcemed au-
uunis.
TAo species Of tha Puss!ano family. or Porht-
lacacete Of which thets arc about lBt, are n,ost.
" found III 10, nnd dry pisces. wheEs t!loy ars
able 10 ebdnse tho drought by roaso4 of their
t!ushy leayos, that ato reservoirs Ut moisture
from which the plants eau draw stistonauce for
| long t,mo. Only five apeclos arc nancd tn
tlsay's Flora, four OF Which, described aboye.
| arc Inhabitants OF our Vicinity
DISEASE PROOF POTATOES.
We gave al account NJ tho tl1no OF tho expert.
peuta which woEo Instituted last yahr by tho
loyal AgticuausHt Society for tho purpose Ut
acquiring information with regard to the potato
tl,scaas. At twenty dinefent stations in Lug
lantI, Scotland, anu ireland, vRriatlca Of the
tubcr wero planted uudor dYoIss conditions,
aud the results carefully noted. Tho report Of
tie experiment hiss now been published, and
tho London Agricultural Ga1ette preaantH the
following oomuiouta:
The primary idea, !ndecd namely. that Of dscorse-
taousn tho ex,crnssuts suosea c1rsriy t.at .oale
varieties fTrrr from the staeks VI The dlse4so
thun olhaEp. Thu Peach Dlosson. fus example, Iata
potato ralAcd by H&ruu Miuaetou Of BoEIdals York
shire, from tuDerE received IL lo8J from Now York,
war peculiarly ftes from d4eass. Among tbs tHeut3
slataaA u which W. pgtata w t1ss. Gully AA sYt,