The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-01-17
Wonders OF Plants and Flowers.


Wonders OF Plants and Flowers.
Most of the flowers sleep during the
night. The marigold goes to bed with
the sun. Many plants are so sensitive
that their leaves close during the pas
sage of cloud. The dandelion opens
at five or six in the morning, and shuts
at nine in the evening, the daisy opens
it's DAYS eye to meet the early beams of
the morning sun. The ivy-leaved let
tuce opens at eight in the morning and
closes forever at four in the afternoon.
The night-fowering cereus turns night
into day. . It begins to expand its mag
nificent sWeet-scented blossoms in the
twilight, il is in full bloom at mid
night, and closes forever at the dawn
of day. In clover field not a leaf is
open until after sunrise. There are
some plants that may be used as
weather prophets. The pimpernel
spreads its leaves at the end of wet
weather, while the different species of
clover contract theirs. II the chick
weed droops and It's flowers are not
open, there is rain in prospect. The
of rain by closing its blossoms; the ane-
none mentaisa carries its flowers erect
when the weather is fine, and dropping
when overcast. 1t will rain if the whit
low grass lets it leaves hang dropping,
if the gallium verum swells and ex-
hales strongly, also if the birch scents
the air.
The sensitiveness of plants to light,
heat and moisture was made by Lin
neus, the great botanist. the basis of
many experiments and observations,
resulting in the arrangement called his
floral clock" 1t is a curious fact
that there are twenty-four varieties of
plants whose blossoms open successive
ly at the different hours of the day and
night. The flowers of the water lily
close and sink into the water precisely
at sunset, rise again to the surface and
expand with sunrise. Pliny described
the lotus of the Euphrates, which fol-
lowed the same order; and the rever-
ence which was paid to the lotus by the
Egyptians is supposed by some to be
from this association with the sacred
sun. Flowers and fruits of the lotus
are engraved on Eastern tombs and
monuments, and adorn the heads of
their sculptured deities. Besides the
" floral clock" there is floral calen-
dar, in which each month is marked by
its own loyal flower.
1t is well known that plants sleep at
night; but their hours of sleeping are a
matter of habit, and may be disturbed
artifcially, Just as cock may be walked
up to crow at an untimely hour by the
light of a lantern. A French chemist
subjected sensitive plant to an ex-
ceedingly trying course of discipline,
by completely changing its hours, ex-
posing it to bright light at night, and
putting it in dark room during the
day. The plant appeared to be much
puzzled at first. 1t opened and closed
its leaves irregularly, sometimes nod
ding in spite of the artificial sun that
shed it's beams at midnight, and some
times waking up, from force of habit,
to find the chamber dark in spite of the
time of day. Such are the trammels of
use and wont. But, after an obvious
struggle, the plant submitted to the
change, and accepted the night for the
day without any apparent i'll effects.
We notice that an Italian chemist has
recently made some experiments which
have resulted in the discovery that veg
etable perfumes exercise positively
healthful influence upon the atmos-
phere by converting its oxygen into
ozone, and thus increasing its oXidizing
influences. The essences found to de-
velop the largest quantity of ozone are
those of the cherry, laurel, clover, law
ender, mint, juniper, lemon, fennel and
bergamot; those that give smaller guam
titles are anise, nutmeg and thyme.
Flowers destitute of perfume do not de-
velop ozone, and those which have but
slight perfume develop it only in small
quantities. Reasoning from these facts,
the Professor recommends the cultiva-
ton of flowers in marshy districts and
in all places infested with animal ema.
nations, on account of the powerful OK
idizing influences of ozone. The in.
habitants of such regions should, he
says, surround their houses with beds
of the most odorous flowers. There is
mystery about perfume. 1t eludes
the most subtle analysis. So fine, sc
subtle, so imponderable, it has eluded
our most delicate measures and oul
strongest lenses. If we could come tC
the essence of each odor we would
make an enormous stride in hygiene
and in chemistry, and no profession
would profit so much by it as the med
ical profession if it could be conclusive
w demonstrated that such an odor pro
ceeded from such and such cause, al
we already know of sulphur, sulphurate
hydrogen, ammonia, and the like
Indianapolis Journal.
In boarding house you don't knocl