The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-04-02
THE SECRET OF THE FLOWERS.
n beauty Is but Utility, Then This Ex-
PLANTATION will Serve.

n Beauty Is but Utility, Then This Ex-
PLANTATION will Serve.
What are flowers, these parts of
plants rendered s conspicuous by
their form and colorg The poets
call them the wedding garments of
plants, but afford US no answer TO
the question, Why do some of the
daughters of Flora, for example, the
grasses. the prime source of our food
supply, wear such inconspicuous
wedding garments. while others arc
decked in such brilliant array or eX
hale such delightful perfumei Sci
entific investigation has solved the
riddle. There r numerous plants
which can be fortified only by tue
agency of insects, which in their
pursuit of food transfer the pollen OF
the anthers to the pistil. 1t is to at
tract these insects that flowers don
their bright garb and exhale their
perfume. Flowers are tavern signs
informing insects that here the table
is with pollen and with ne tal
spread. The fact is now universally
known, but simple and natural "a II
appears it was first discovered only a
century ago. Strange
There have been cor 1tless lovers
of flowers for Thousands of years,
and not one IF them had an idea
Of the purpose which the flowers
served until an obser-ant schoolmas
ter in his ramble through the envi
rons of Berlin and Hpandau had his
attention awakened oy observing the
unwearied persist ice with which
the insects visited tower after flower,
caught nature II the act indeed,
and in the year 1898 published his
remarkable work. the title of which,
translated into English, would he,
The Discovered Secret of the Struc-
ture and Fertilization Of Flowers.
1t was a work indicative of monu
mental industry, with 26 copper
plates containing LIZ illustrations.
The German schoolmaster was Chris
tian KOurad Sprengel, the son of a
Brandenburger clergyman. After a
first appointment in a Berlin school
he was called 11S0) to the rectorship
of the Great School now Gymnasi
UNI at Spandau, where he collected
and worked up the material Of h.s
work. an astonishing task. which
even today excites the unqualified
admiration of boTauists. At tlat
time the worl. BROUGHT Sprcu""' -
honor. His love OF flowers Cc,Ft-
so much Of his time That Ee l..i Il
himself To only the Iort absolute.
necessary of his r~ectOrial duties. lr'
died IN complete ohscuITty. ApT,l :.
1916. in his sixry-siXth year.
Shortly before his death he p-,r
lished a short memoir entitled
Utility of Bees, and the "Necess.,r
of Bee Culture From a New Point Of
View" in which he drew, more Pre-
.cisely, the distinction between WI
fortified and insect fortified plan
He showed here eXperimentally the
incapacity of insects 10 fertilize the
flowers of currents, gooseberrles, ap.
ples, viOlets and others. These
flowers are protected from the visits
of insects by a small canopy of gauze.
The labors Of Sprengel were prac.
tlcally disregarded. He experienced
no recognition, and he did not even
retain a single copy of his work.
Charles Darwin was the first IL
bring Sprengel's remarkable book
to light and do full justice to the
German s~choolmaster. He wa
ahead of his age" wrote Darwin,
and his discoveries layfong neglect
ed."-Neber Land Und Nicer.