Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-24

<xA 2 plant native 20 Cen
S<G tryl America and known
W D-1 the vegetable cap
-- because the natives nse
its flower sheaths for
head coverings. Before the bud OF this queer
vegetable opens il is covered with q brown
hbrous case somewhat the shape of an umbrella
cover and about two and half feet long This
sheath Is pushed OF by the expansion Of the
flower, and being folded in telescope fashion
makes very picturesque sort of hat indeed.
There Is also shown that remarkable weed.
common On Kansas rrairies. which makes
horses drunk. The taste FOR this loco" plant
Is not natural but the animals eat il sometimes
when other forage - short. Having once
acquired the appetite in this way they prefer 10
10 anything else and deyour il greedily. being
ariNrn nv n into n frenzied intoxication. 80
irst they go round and roand In a blind sort %
way, leaping over stick n u was q fve-
barred gate, and otherwise conducting them
selves absur1ly. Finally they swell up and
| actually burst open. At one time a bounty was
"ncred 10 persons who would pluck up the weed
and deliver 1t 81 the authorities for burning. 80
hlhch beng paid per quantity. But the stuff
IAN. AM IA 80 fast as To generate suspicion that
ug formers had found profit in cultivating it,
anu ule bounty was withdrawn.
3. TIE VEGETABLE prsHRaa.
! Then there is the vegetable dishrag" that
}
coming into use for such purposes ms it's name
Indicates. 1t is very durable. something like a
sponge In the form Of sheet and has the feel
of a coarse Turkish towel when employed in the
bath. Down south IL is found serNiceable in all
sorts OF other WAYS
Also Is exhibited the vegetable ivory plant,
winch IL a sort of palm. native Ca the tropics,
that runs -aiong the ground. making pods at
intervals. Zach pod contains from three 90
ave OF the nrts. which are about the size and
shape OF baniam's egg. The material of which
theH are composed resembles ivory very much
Ia appearance. L. intensely hard and lasts nearly
as well rs real ivory long as il does not get
Wet. The ''soaD-root." which the miners of
California nse 10 wash their clothes with, il
another remarkable plant. They soak their
things over night together with the root. which
forms sads Indians employ il in like manner
Tor cleansing their blankets
WATER PLANTS.
In the same strange case are pods Of thewestern
yellow water lily. the cells Of which are filed
with black seeds. each Of the bigness of a small
marble which rattle about when the pods are dry.
Indian babies are supplied with them often for
rattles. Alongside Of these are the red Sword
Deans. which grow in Florida and are used n
So"d deal Tor necklaces and other articles Of
lewelry. Also You can the seeds of the s'cal-
! lhrops, n floating water plant These seeds
are sometimes called water chestnuts," aud
upon certain variety of them 80 900 people in
Cashmir depend altogether for food during five
months in the year. In Venice they are called
| ',jesuits' nuts" Another seed of a curious
nature is the real nut. known as the ',anacar-
dunn, which. when cut open. is no poisonous
as to produce effects like and quite as bad as
those OF the poison ivy. bold eKperimenter
over at the department put n portion az the
kernal of one of the nuts in his mouth ON a
certain occasion not long ago. and the next day
hlS lace was pretty much all mouth and erup-
/ ton.
-, There are shown, too, some Skeletons Of cacti.
The Indians out west soak the prickly pear
plant and let the soft part rot away 80 that
only the woody framework is left. This Frame
work Is utilized for making baskets. ANYTHING
more useless seemingly. than anysort Of cactus
can hardly be imagined. but in the west the
most horrible prickly cacti are actually en-
ployed as fodder for cattle. being first burned,
partly to remove the pricklcs. and then chopped
/ up and mixed with other fodder. Another sort
/ of thing commonly utilized for fodder is the
screw bean, which resembles exactly a bunch
4 of screws.
SPECIMENS BY THE THOUSAND.
In the herbarium at present are about 10000
| different species of plants belonging to the
United States, this number constituting very
nearly ii not qnite IS per cent of the entire
number existing in this country. Thus il will
be seen that the collection is pretty nearly
| complete in this respect. botanical agents are
constantly engaged in Texas. Florida and other
| states trying TO secure new specimens. Each
| agent Is provided with press. the simplest
| form of which Is two rectangular pieces Of
| board with many sheets Of loose-fibered paper
held between them by a strip. When he goes
| out on excursions, however, he carries with
| him Only a book filled with paper sheets
between which he places whatever lac collects.
! Or il may be that a box serves the purpose.
| Upon returning home he transfers the speci-
mems TO his press and leaves them there until
they are dry. Then he places them between
/ a.. ~ a,al IL
that shape TO Washington. Here they care
| fully classified and arranged on paper sheets,
ali the varieties OF a Species being put together
inside brown paper cover, the different
species belonging 60 family being placed
together within an outer cover To include them
| all the families being arranged in groups and
the groups in orders. 80 that after the collec-
| ton is numbered and eatalogued in this way
any plant that is wanted can be got at in q
moment. The herbarium may be called the
reference library of the botanist. In il he can
refer at any time of the year to any plant that
grows and find out all about il off-hand.
FROM EVERYWHERE.
Although the collection of this herbafium u
SO nearly complete, as far as United States
plants are concerned, il contains as yet only IL
per cent of the families of plants in the world
There are on the earth altogether s,3f9 such
families. 3l5 81 this number being grasses. A
new lot of plants has just come IN 20 the herba-
rum from Africa and includes several families
| not hitherto in the collection. Contributions
| from abroad are constantly being received, sent
by persons with whom the Department Of Agri-
culture is in correspondence all over the earth
| A system of exchange exists among botanists
| IN different countries.
II must be understood that the 10, 600 species
of United States plants in the herbarium only
| include the higher vegetables and not tho
lower orders such the fungi. There =
| great many more species of the fungi in the
| world than of the higher types OF vegetable
| growth, each Towering plant having AZ least
| one or two species that prey upon il. But the
| fungi do not belong in an herbariuin; they are
Al s,S 10 ot.hl fhal "a