The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-06-19

There are several plants, especially those
| with compound yellow flowers, which nod
| ana during the whole day turn their flowers
toward the sun. Such flowers are desig-
mated as ''heliotropcs, and the movement
which they thus exhibit is called their
mutation. This is particularly observa-
Die In the common SOW thistle, and is a
well known fact that great par: of the
plants in serene sky expand their flowers.
Dut before rain they shut them up, us the
tulip, for Instance. The flowers of chick :
wlntcrgrecn droop in the night, lest rain or
moisture should injure the fertilizng pol
lon. One species Of wood sorrel shuts IN
or doubles its leaves before storms and tenn
pests, but in serene sky expands or un-
ields them, so that husbanttmcn can fore
tell tcmpes!s from it. 1t isl also well known
that the sensitive plants and other species
OF CaSsiG observe the same rule The
flowers of the bindwood, the wood anc
none, and the common daisy, even if al
rei0y op'n. will Shut Oh the approach
ol rain. The last named flower appears
10 have derived its namc-day's eyc-from
It's sensitivcncss Of light. Such phenomena
rs these arc probably determined by the
action of light : and the flowers of such
plants being shut at ten or eleven o'clock
III the morning tell of clouds and gloom,
ana so predict rain. Besides affordinp
Prognosllcs, many plants also fold them
selves up at particular hours, with such
regularity as to have acquired particular
names from this property. Linn,rus has
enumerated forty-six flowers which possess
Tic Kind OF scnsibilty. From an arrange
lncnt Of such flowers it has been iupcniouslv
proposed to form floral timcpiccc. The
flowers of thegoats beard open in the morn
ing at the approach Of the sun, and regard
less OF the weather, shut about noon. and
hence its common name of "go-to-bcd-at
noon" The Star of Bethlehem expands it's
flowers about tlc'cn, ard closes them mt
thrcc III The afternoon. The evening prim-
rose Is well known from is remarkable pro-
pcrtles OF regularly shutting with a loud
popping noise about sunrise and opening at
sunset. After six o'clock, these flowers
regularly report the approach of night.
Inc flowers OF the garden lettuce open at
seven o'clock and Shut at ten. That light
Is inc chief agent of these changes seems
70 DC proved by the experiments of De
Candolle, made at the Jardin DIES Plant, 8,
III all Underground cellar, Illuminated bv
lamps giving light equal to- flfty-four Or
dinary wax candles. By lighting these he
could cause the flowers of the Star of Beth
lehem to open at pleasure, and also those
OF the camomilc, which keeps its flowers
closely shut during the night; but he could
produce no artificial effect with the strong
est light upon several species of wood sor-
raj, whose flowers and leaves are both
folded up at night. With the sensitive
plant he succeeded in so completely chang
ing the hour of closure that on tho third
day from being placed in the lighted cellar
it began to fold its leaves in the morning
r.GNs Hnan thcm inJJDr cyeujng- - One of the
on plants is that of the LOtuS of the Eu-
pirates, as described by Theophrastus, and
which he represents as rearing and expand
ing its blossom by dny, closing and sinking
beneath the surface of the water by night,
80 as to be beyond the grasp of the hand,
and again rising up in the morning to pre-
sent its EXPANDED BLOSSOM to the sun. The
same phenomenon is also related by Pliny.