Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-04-05
The Washington Botanical Garden.

Mssrs. Editors While the government has
brought the ucalaplus from Australia TO be trans
planted by the thousand where it will absorb the
miasma of the swampy-lands and make healthy
atmosphere, it has also brought the Uforb,d from
some region which we did not definitely ascertain,
but we learned that instead OF being health-giv-
ing tree, the application OF its juice to any Of the
muscles would render them powerless Tor day or
two
"Why does the government take pains to prop
agate such tree as this % said one Of the ladies
OF our party
at is for men who have scodng wives, ma
dam" said Mr.. Smith, the head of the Botanical
Department zone taste of the Uforbid paralyzes
the tongue, and she cannot speak again for week
But among all the various specimens from the
Z" ends of the earth, the papyrus from the Nile
is not the least interesting What great Inn
provement that was when this plant was found TO
contain the material on which records could be
written, in place of the perishable parchment.
No doubt the ancient Egyptians talked Of this as
a most wonderful discovery. From the Papyrus
plant they made the sheets on which they wrote
books, and from this our word paper is derived
President Torrey has made a calculation Of the
capacity OF the rapyrus. Take one day issue Of
the New York Herald and write out on Papyrus
rolls all that 1t contains, in the same handwriting
that the ancionts made use Of, and it would re-
quire all the Papyrus that could be raised on a
track OF land the size of the state Of New York,
and little more And to do the writing for the
one hundred and fifty thousand copies, all in one
day, 1t would take four and one-half million
scribes. And yet it is an easy days work at the
Heruld Office, and several other offices do nearly
as much and we think ii nothing OF much con-
sequence
Near by is a fountain and little pond in the
shade OF yeritablc Yew trees. A member from
the West was down here to pace in these walks
and shades, and gather in his scattered ideas for
the morrow's debate, when he came 10 this
lake and saw three frogs resting with their
heads out Of the water with such extreme self
possession and freedom from embarrassment, that
it excited his attention. They did not seem at all
afraid Of eyena Congressman, but maintained their
position with such sang froid that he was re-
minded OF his boyhood days, and began to throw
stones at the frogs. lie was tout of practice"
as the musicians say, and at the first he hit as
wide as Quaker gun, while the frogs seemed
only to mock him with their extreme quietness.
Then it was that he began to warm up to the
work and laying oil his coat, was determined to
see II his right hand had forgot her cunning.
Nearer and yet nearer went the missiles, chumng
the water into foam, until, at last one hit frog
square on his head, and the stone bounded oil
with such an unmstakable ring Of cast iron, that
1t began to dawn upon his understanding that
things in Washington were not always just what
they appeared to be. Now this Scion Of the West
congratulated himself that he was alone, and
quietly walking to his room, he reioiced to reflect
that mo eye had seen him, no ear had heard E"
the splash OF the troubled water "The secret
was his own and was safel" safe2 A wicked
member from Pennsy lyania introduced a resolu-
ton the next morning prohibiting members Of
Congress from going into the Botanical grounds TO
stone TIE frogs, and the uproar which followed
was not recorded upon the Journal