The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-04-03
THE SECRET OF THE FLOWERS.
N Beauty Is but Utility. Then This ES-
PLANTATION Will Serve.

~ Beauty Is but Utility. Then This Ex-
PLANTATION Will Serve.
What are flowers, these parts of
plants rendered so conspicuous by
their form and colorl 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 inconsplcuous
wedding garments. while others are
decked in such brilliant array or eX
hale such delightful perfumei Sci
entific investigation has solved the
riddle. There are numerous plants
which can be fortified only by the
agency of insects, which in Their
pursuit of food transfer the pollen o!
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 tai
spread. The fact is now universally
known, but simple and natural as II
appears it was first d scovered only a
century ago. Stranse
There have been countless lovers
of flowers for the sands of years.
and not one of I EN- had an ide.
of the purpose V lich the flower
served until an oil 7ervant schoolmas
ter in his ramblf through the envi
rons of Berlin a 4 Spandau had HI,
attention awake ed by observing the
unwearied pei stence with which
the insects visi' d flower after flower,
caught natu : in the act" indeed,
and in the year 1898 published his
remarkable work, the title of which,
translated into English, would be,
THE Discovered Secret of the Struc
ture and Fertilization of Flowers.
It was a work indicative of monu
mental industry, with 26 copper
plates containing LIZ illustrations
The German schoolmaster was Chris
tan Konrad Sprengel, the son of /
Brandenburger clergyman. After {
first appointment in a Berlin schoo
he was called 17sOy to the %rectorshir
of the Great School now Gymnasl
UNI at Spandau. where he collected
and worked up the material of hi
work. an astonishing task. whicl
even today e=cltes the unqualitie'
admiration of botani-ts. At tina
time the work brought Spr,I" / =.
honor. His love of flowers occu
so much of his time rAat he Inns.
himself To only the most alsa.s
necessary of hi ructOrial duties J.
died in complete ~obscUricy. APP. :
1916. in his sixty-siXth year.
Shortly before his death lie
lished a short memoir entitled II.
Utility of Bees" and the 'Neces>i
of Bee Culture From a New Point "a
View" in which he drew, y,
cisely, the distinction between WI
fertilized and insect fortified plan
He showed here experimentally Il
incapacity of insects to fertilize tn
flowers of currents. gooseberTles, al
piles, violets and others. Thes
flowers are protected from the visit
of insects by a small canopy of gauze
The labors of Sprengel were praC
t1cally disregarded. He experience
no recognition, and he did not eve
retain a single copy of his work
Charles Darwin was the first {
bring Sprengel's remarkable book
to light and do full justice to tn
German schoolmaster. He wa
ahead Of his age" wrote Darwin
land his discoveries lay long neglect
ed."-Neber Land HNd Nicer.