The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-13
FLOWERS TAFT tap ms cts.
And a Vegetable Whisky Shop That
Catches and Eats tro9s.

And Vegetable Whisky Shop That
Catches and Eats tro9s.
From the Washington Std,.
A new species Of vegetable whisky shop
has been added to the collection of plant
curiosities at the Botanical garden. The
liquor it distills in the pitcher-shaped re-
ceptacles that hang from its stems is es-
pecially liked by frogs. which hop into these
traps for the purpose of drinking 1t. Al
though the swoetish fluid Is a powerful in
toxicant the batraohlan customer
however wildly over. stimulated would
certainly jump out again were it not
that two very sharp dagger-like thorns
project downward from the lip of the yes
sci IN such manner that Mr.. Frog in try
ing to escape is thrust through the body by
them at every leap until presently he falls
dead in the liquid refreshment"-an APP
propriate object lesson to all Incorporate
/ creatures-whe reupon the plant absorbs his
substance, as the ordinary whisky shop con-
oumes that Of its frequenter, and is thus
supported.
Tuls species is tropical and has to be kept
in the green house devoted to plants of the
equatorial belt Naturally there are no
frogs i'll the conservatory, and 80 Supt.
Smith is obliged to feed this eccentric yeget-
able with raw meat chopped fine, on which
|
likewise be supplies with the same
artificial sustenaGce the other sorts
of whisky shops that find in bugs
Of various descriptions their chosen prey.
They will all eat beef, although each variety
seems to have in nature its particular line
OF customers, one capturing cockrCaches,
another ants, and so on. Doubtless they
all could live on any animal food, but
there seems to be a difference of
taste among the insects as to the liquors.
| One species will only touch the drink
| served by certain representative of his
! carnlverous plant family; another selects
| by preference different brew and 50 on.
| Thus but one sort Of bug is ordinarily found
in each set Of pitchers, those Designed for the
accommodation Of large beetles aud cock
reaches being as big as small sh es. 1t is
very curious to cut open one of these vessels
| after 1t has become withered and dead
| being merely formed at one end of the leaf,
| and 20 fad what wonderful collection OF
| victims 1t has gathered in aud not finally
| digested, often numbering many hundreds,
| II the Trey IS small The whole
| structure OF each trap is beyond measure
| curious, the inner surface of some coated
with little bristles that project downward
ami prevent the guests so Hospitality re-
celved from walking out again. This is par
tICularly n feature OF what tae superinteud-
ent calls the vegetable lager be saloons,
which prepare liquor of much less intoxi-
eating quality in tall chalice-shaped yes
sells instead o. pitchers, depending
upon drowning their customers rather
than upon making them so drunk that they
cannot get away. A deplorable thing 1t
seems, by the way, to find such bad habits
prevalent among bugs, the opinion having
been always held that only man, the mos
noble Of animals, had a right to indulge in
vices to the elaboration and invention OF
which he has given So much attention.
so far as can be ascer tanned no analysis
has ever been made of the liquors dis
pensed by these vegetable gin mills, chiefly
owing TO the fact that such an experiment
would involve very difficult problem in
organic chemistry. Ii is known, however,
that the strongest Of them contain a large
proportion of alcohol Persons hard I'D for
stimulants have often achieved a maximum
Of intoxication by swallowing the contents
of few Of the pitchers, which sometimes
hold more than a quarter of a pint each,
without hothering about the insects in the
| fluid. Why may it not be that from this
origin the term "bug juice Is derived.
! How appropriately is such a beverage
! adapted to the convivial uses of the tropical
tramp who, while pursuing his leisurely
travel; can pluck his drinks by the wsyside.
A novelty at the Botanical garden is plant
whose leaf bears remarkably we'll exe>
! cuted caricature of the Duke of Wellington,
oil done IN the veining; but in the interest
of visitors it does not seriously rival either
the "mother-in-law plant" a scrap of
| which swells up your tongue SO that you
cannot speak for days, or the famous
butcher plant Of Maryland, that has. in
| stead Of leaves, 50 many pairs Of toothe1
jaws that close upon any insect venturing
between to get at the bait within.
This butcher plant" which grows no
where in the world save In the vicinity Of
J F., -,
| Gus habits, being chronic victim of indi-
gestion. Each stomach trap, having used
up most of the gastric juice which it secretes
in dlgcsting the first living prey caught,
usually inds the second victim it captures
disagree with 1t, and the third it is unable
to assimilate satisfactorily. Then the trap
turns from green to brown and dies like
any leaf other fresh ones developing mean
while TO take up the work of gobbhnG.
After all this greedy vegetable is not nearly
so bad as the "oruel plant as it is called
whose flowers wantonly capture unsuspect-
ing butterflies that ahght TO sip honey, aud
hold them until they are dead, when the
grasp Of the ruthless petals is relinquished
and tie luckless visitor is dropped on the
ground.
Plants even employ insects as their SER
wants in the work of reproducing their spe-
cies, paying them wages in honey. Most veg
etaoles combine the two sexes in one flower
buO breeding IN and lu' l. no more healthy
for them than animals. One blossom must
marry with another il the species is to be
'ntinued in a healthy way So young Mr..
Honeysuckle dresses himself in a spring
suit Of bright yellow and perfumes himself
delicously for the purpose of attracting the
gay butterflies that flu ter around. He also
provides a store Of nectar in a golden Gun
TO offer any insect guest that may cone his
way. Presently butterfly pauses to take a
sip of the sweet liquor, but in doing so she
cannot avoid getting some of the pollen on
her head and this she carries to another
honeysucke, where she stops for a second
bit OF refreshment, and incidentally rubs of
some of the pollen upon its stigma Thus is
accomplished the marriage of the flowers.
But the bee is the Cupid of the vegetable
world, to whom is assigned most of this
marrying aud giving in marriage among
the blossoms. There is one kind of orchid
that depends altogether for the continuance
Of its species upon fights among bees. To a
moral delinquency on their part il NAV be
said to owe its survival entirely. The
petals OF each of its flowers are so bent as
to form a sort Of little tunnel, and to get at
the honey bee must go in at one end or