Los Cerrillos rustler. (Cerrillos, N.M.) 188?-1891, 1890-09-05

Pref Seheiwlssh. the N~ell.known
naturalist 81 bavaria Nhile travelling I.
vita me Stanley expedition IN ne
heart q Africa noticed : plant win =
secular strelcalured foliage. and On
examination il was iound hat The shrub
although FrowinE Ike other plants rom
the soil. was practically composed OF
iron. The leaves although very thln
were bent with great difficulty, and the
twivs and branches resisted pressure
xith = force about equal % the sane
amount Of iron. and 10 secure a Leaf u
wsw found necessary to separate u IRON
the bush wlth = Gle.
While Prof. Scheiwisch w~asdigEing ~
the base Of this plant for the purpose OF
making an examination Of its roots The
natives crowded around him in great
numbers. gcstCulating In q menselhg
manner. The Professor desistea ron
his work and the interpreter vas sen
for. He explained that this was 3 holy
tree. and worshiped By the natives IN
their fetch religion a. = god plant ana
that to dig one up would bring ruin and
desolatIon upon tho whole village and
surrounding country.
prof. schelwisch offered 20 buy tho
plant. and. taking out a handful oil cop
nor coins. gave them 20 the savages,
who gladly accepted the money and
dfstributed Il among themselves. The
Professor then returned TO the work OF
digging up the unique plant but haa
/. not made any great progress whom the
natives again set upon him. Through
, the interpreter the Professor informed
: them that he had legally bought the
: plant and intended TO remove II NJ
: soon as this message was made known
! 70 the savages every one who had re-
: ceiyed A coin came and dropped 1t In
the hole at tho base of the shrub. froi'
schelwisch allowed the coins TO remain
in tho hole and walked away toward the
mountain to hunt another specimen
Next day. as the party were preparing
> IN continue the march, the Professor
~ was curious to know II the coins had re
" NAMED undisturbed during the nigh
bv the suporstitious natives, and on az
u proaebing the metal plant was aston
ished TO find It had changed its colo
W e~o,npletely. Instead OF being a beaut
full steel color. the stem, leaves an
what was exposed OF the roots presente
tho appearance Of newly-coiued cope
' coins. and rlittered In tho morning SUI
light like polished gold. Upon exam
o~ ination II was ascertained that durln
- the night tho strange plant had q
= sorbed nearly all the copper coins VII
tho result OF completely changing
color.
What was left OF the coins In the no
e', showed that they were more than ha
eaton away or absorbed by tho roots
the metal plant. Not only was Y
1' color changed, but tho texture oil !
plant had undergone a similar transit
nation. 1t was found that the thin N
IN shaped leaves we're now easily DC
''oe around the fingers, would retain q
otH shane given, and could DO readily {
gou with anv ordinary pair Of scissors.
Prof. S%ehelwisch succeeded IN surrei
iieu tiously securing several branches OF I
!. wonderful metal eating plant and
=" also successful in obtaining a -
N photograph of it. No further trace
tho existence OF the metal plant '
s"ss found until the expedition reached
Uniamesi country, when at n bas'
per tho ~Nkomabakosi Mountains q pert
forest Of this curious plant was lou
~. This being an un%inhabited REGION
iEus difficulty was encountered in secur
u"S speeimens TO take back to England.
heet A great fire was built about the y
that hut Ii would not burn the least II
only bit.-Philadelphia Times.