St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-02-21

tho water at the bottom of the pitcher, and
II made a liouid fertilizer-whatever that
NAV be-to make the plants grow strong,
bear nice flowers and good seeds.
"Tell us MORE" cried the children, and
the fiy. looking much pleased, went on:
| "My uncle has travelled much and
| talked with flies from other countries and
has told me many things about the differ
ent plants.
"rhere are several kinds of pitcher
plants, most of them grow in the South.
[ suppose you know the pitchers are the
| leaves and not the flower, as | have heard
some foolish people call them. Near Mo
bile uncle saw some growing, very much
like these, only the flowers were yellow.
"There was also another variety growing
near, with pitchers not as tall but much
larger around, all beautifully colored red
dish purple 1t is called the "side saddle
flower, and is the only kind that grows in
the North Another variety is shaped a
little like parrot and is called the "par-
| rot pitcher plant. In California grows
| another kind, and no where else in the
| world. The pitcher is twisted some, and
| nearly closed at the top. Two short lobes
hang down, one on either side, all smeared
| with honey to tempt US, and there is
more honey inside, so we 60 in. But all
| pitchers are the same, they coax us in and
| then drown US.
"This last one is called 'Darlingtonia. ,"
Here the fly gave quick glance to see
! if he had pronounced this long name
right. He seemed satisfied and went on
proudly:
Uncle met fly from the tropics who
told him of the beautiful pitchers that
grow in his country but am not going to
| tell you this time, because l want to tell
you of other plants which grow in our
country and kill us poor insects.
"Those delicate violet colored flowers
| with the yellow throats, which the one
You call Edith has in her hand, grow on a
plant called butterwort.' There are only
a few varieties that grow in this country.
| These grow in damp places beside the
| pitchers. Did you notice how pretty the
leaves are? They sparkle like an ice
plant, but if you rub them they feel very
| greasy"
The fly rubbed his legs over his wings a
few times and then asked:
"Have you seen the 'supdews'2 No?
Well, look among the grasses in damp
places. The small leaf stalks lie on the
ground in circle; on the end of each is a
round leaf about the size of shirt button.
| All around the edge are little reddish hairs
! like eye-la shes, and each hair has a drop
! of sticky fluid at the end that sparkles like
drop of dew, and the middle of the
| leaf is covered with hairs that sparkle also.
'If an insect alights on it,the leaf begins
! to slowly close over it. In about fifteen
minutes the poor insect is dead. and the
plant digests it just as you do your food
| Uncle tells me there are men who have
actually spent years in studying these
plants and have fed them on tiny bits of
meat and the whites of boiled eggs, and
learned great deal about their habits
"Uncle showed me the picture of another
plant that only grows in few places in
North Carolina, called Venus fly trap
| which is much like the sundews. They
are said to be excellent fly traps for people
to grow in the house, but uncle says a leaf
never catches insects more than three times
during it's life; that after catching any
thing they keep closed for a long time and
seem stupid.
"In country called Portugal q plant
grows that the poor people hang up to
catch flies. The leaf don't close over
them, but is all covered with something
sticky that catches the flies and soon kills
them. l wanted to tell you about Jack in
in the pulpit, who makes prisoners of US
flies when we 60 to him for something to
eat, but he treats US well and lets US go
again. Some nice ones grow near that tall
tulip tree.
81 must be going now, for fear my
poor wife is i'll from anxiety, not knowing
where am"
So saying, the fly circled about few
times and flew away. The children stood
looking after him moment, then Ernest
said:
els that true, mamma, what the fly told
us about those plantsI'
"Who ever heard of plants eating meat
and bits of egg?" chimed in Edith.
Mamma laughed and said it did seem
queer, but all the fly had told was per-
fectly true, and when they got home she
would show them pictures and read more
about these plants, written by men who
had studied them for years.
Grandpa, who had been lying under the
pines reading, now came towards them.
The children all tried to tell at the same
time what the fly had said, and asked him
to come and look for sundews. Many
lovely flower they found hidden by
clump of ferns or bushes, but at last the
sharp eyes of Ernest saw something gilt
ter, and, STOPPING down, he found it was a
plant of sundew. Running for the spade
they had brought, he called grandpa, who
dug up the plant without disturbing the
roots, and carefully packed it in moss,
storing it in large basket with many
other treasures.
Time had slipped away very fast, and
now they must start for home. While
mamma and the girls were seeing that all
was safely put away, Ernest went for
Donald, who, thinking of the supper he
would get, tossed his head, anxious to be
off.-M. ". Stgtchoe1. in The american.