The record-union., 1893-04-29
FARM AND ORCHARD.
Something About California Forage
Plants and Their Value.
An Interesting Paper Upon AlfilerIlla,
Or Fflere, and Its Kindred
Plants-Stock Feed.

The late rain has given the filere a
fresh start, and has covered the hills and
valleys with carpet of emerald green. A
few words on the natural history of this
plant may be interesting TO some of the
readers of the Record, especially to those
who have only lately come to this land
OF sunshine and flowers.
California is justly noted for the beauty
and novelty OF its native plants. Its flora
Is no less remarkable for plants that are
useful rather than ornamental. OF the
various members of the former class,
none are more widely distributed, more
generally known and more justly cele-
brated than this pasture plant.
-AfteriILd, or fil-e-re, as we really pro-
nounce it, has been ranked as the prince
among our pasture plants, and we think
it richly deserves this distinction.
Bunch grass, salt grass, from which
stock running loose get all the salt they
need; tule grass, burr clover and many
other species of clover, both native and
introduced; the lupines and various
other rich succulent plants, which are
layishly spread in spring over our
mountains and hillsides, our valleys and
our river bottoms, furnish the richest
and most varied food for the hundreds
of thousands OF sheep. cattle and horses
that are annually pastured in our State.
Even when dry and crisp, as most OF
the plants are from June to December,
they are devoured as eagerly and seem as
nourishlng as the best oil hay. Indeed, in
many localities where this native growth
IS rankest, 1t is frequently mown and
cured for hay. Entirely dried and lack
ing IN substance, as it generally appears,
Stock iced upon 1t and are kept in the
finest condition during our severest win
ters.
Among all our fora no plant is more
valued for such purposes throughout the
State than the filere. Botanically, altil-
erllla, or, as we prefer to call it, til-e-re, is
an erodiuH. This generic name is from
the Greek erodloY, meaning heron or
crane, and Is given on account of the
close resemblance of its seedpod and
stem to the head, neck and breast of that
bird, as can be readily seen by a mo-
ments inspection. Hence. in works on
botany its common name is given as
Crane's-bill, Heron's-bill and even
Stork's bill.
Its California name, alflerflJa, is a
Spanish diminutive from HLer, pin, and
literally means the little pin. 1t is given
because the long, tapering seedpod is
like a pin. For this reason it is fire.
quently called pinplant. Its long and
musical Spanish name is reduced by
usage to the more convenient form yfIere,
in that practical, characteristic style
which Californians have for finding the
quickest and shortest way for doing
everything.
This plant is frequently spoken of as a
native of the Pacihc Coast. So long has
IL been known here, so universally is it
distributed in our State and so well does
1t thrive on its adopted soil, that we do
not wonder at this common error. 1t is
not, however, a native of America.
More than forty species of erOdiltne are
known and described by botanists, and
a majority of them are natives of the
shores and islands OF the Mediterranean.
One species is described as a native OF
Siberia; another of the Cape of Good
Hope; one variety is from Numidia, and
the two which are so common in Califor-
mia are given as natives of Great Britain,
where we first gathered them in our boy
hoods days.
So, our familiar and valued friend, the
tilere, is an exotic from the Old World.
AS pioneer, it is even more venerable
than forty-niner. We do not know that
history tells us when it first emigrated to
its new home. 1t probably came with
some of the first shipments of wheat and
barley and other seed that were brought
to our shores. But like the millions of
Europeans who have sought homes in
America, it has found in California q soil
and climate so congenial that it has taken
entire possession, and 1t seems so much
at home that we have come to lock upon
il as among our aborigines. And does
this seem strange when we rememb Der
how similar our climate is to that portion
OF Southern Europe, Western Asia and
Northern Africa?
Filere belongs to the geranium family.
which, besides the sweet-scented and cul-
tivated plants of that name, comprises
also the wood-sorrels, the balsams or
touch-me- nots, and the garden nastur-
tium, or tropoeolum, one species of which
tI. MQjuSl, native of Peru, is very re-
markable for the following fact, which.
we are told, was first discovered by the
daughter of Linnaus," the celebrated
botanist. AT night its large orange flow
ers, shaped like those of the larkspur, OF
snap-dragon, 'emit spontaneously, al
certain intervals, vivid sparks like those
OF an electric machine"
When any OF our lady friends are tend
ing their beautiful and valued pets The
rose geranium and its kindred, which
beautlfy their gardens, windows, rooms
and conservatories, do they ever stop to
think, or have the time TO learn, why
this plant is called geJdniltn. There is
reason for everything" This name
and er0dtum are given for very similar
reasons, as seems natural when we think
OF the close relationship of the plants to
which they belong. Geranium is from
the Greek word gerdnoS, a crane, and the
name is given because the seedpod bears
some resemblance to cranes bill. For
this reason cranesbill is a common name
for the geranium among botauists.
The striking difference between the
leaves of the two most common species
OF filere gives to one e. circutaf,ful1ll
the common name of Hqe-LeaUed-fLere,
and to the other Il. HoSchatltlyl), coarse
leGUed-fLere, by which our people most
generally distinguish them. We are all
so familiar with the appearance of these
plants, any attempt at minute descrip-
ton is unnecessary. We will, therefore,
point out only few of the different
qualities which distinguish the species.
a strong odor is a mark of these plants,
as it is of other members of the geranium
family. Mash the stem and leaves OF
.fRe-tedUed.ftere, and they emit the odor
of parsnips very decidedly. Coarse
{eGUed.ftere, besides having coarser and
rather shorter stems, leaves closer to-
gether and rather smaller flowers, has also
very strong odor of musk. Hence its
specific name MOSchdtum or muSku.
The name circUtalTum, from circutd
meaning henlock, is said TO be given tc
the first species because its leaves are
timely divided like the leaves of that no.
torious plant. But we must confess it is
not altogether agreeable to associate il