The morning times., 1895-08-11

as handsome and graceful a f4ower as
one could see in the choicest garden.
Where Rock Greek wends its leisurely
course through our midsummer fields and
forests the meadow rue lifts her stately
head above the myriad blossoms around.
In this region we find also the wild flag,
purple-tinted and naughty with regal
glory, the yellow meadow lily, the delicate
swamp milk-weed and the fringed orchis.
All of them are captivating, charming
flowers, but none are so striking as the cool,
chaste beauty of the meadow rue.
We have no wild fower more prolific
in this section than the bluet No one can
forget its tender loveliness, claiming our
attention from the roadsides the meadows,
and the outskirts of the woods It's twink
ling blue eyes seem to laugh welcome to all
morning stroliers. Towards evening Its
dainty, enamel-like flowers are still bright
and fresh, it being decidedly not a blossom
(which liveth just for the hour" The
Dluets have been honored with many names.
About 1880 some local botanists about
Washington christened the species Venus
Pride. Prof. Meehan says that name could
not become popular, because according to
all accounts Venus was dashing young fe
male, with a very high opinion of her
charms, and such character is totally at
variance with this Wee, modest flower"
Around Philadelphia II is called Quaker
Bonnet" and in other sections IL is known
as the dwarf pink.
AN OLD FRIEND.
The common white daisy fs an old
friend to whom each spring flower lovers
give hearty welcome. 1t is not, however,
greeted so enthusiastically by the farmer
the white weed" as he calls il, being
very hurtful to pasture land and difficult
10 eradicate. The daisy has lately be-
come popular as a church decorator, and
figured quite conSpicuously at weddings
during the past spring. IL is associated
in most minds, however, with the sad story
OF Marguerite and how she questioned its
snowy petals TO find whether the gay and
heartless Faust really loved her. SO it
does not seem very happy selection for
wedding flower
Washington is particularly proud of five
very handsome species OF native water
lilies. The white water lily, or pond lily,
is too well known to need description. II
is found wild around Great Falls, but is
more familiar Oh account of It's intTuduc-
ton into the lakes and fountain basins of
our parks. Scarcely a fountain in our
numerous parks that has not a collection
of this fine queenly flower The White
Lot lake had a few years ago quite
famous assortment of aquatic lilies, con-
taining some of tile rarest species known.
A dainty pink lily is often seen in tue
parks floating among It's spotless sisters
and making an exquisite contrast of color.
No flower is more richly colored than the
blue water lily, one OF the wild species
found in great quantities near the Potomac
flats and the marshes of Analostan Island.
This is one OF tn e deepeS and most beautiful
OF our few blue flowers. Like our blue
song birds, our aZone-tinted flowers are
very rare. The more northern climates
n ha F-f3lt la n
greater abundance, both in flower rainient
and bird plunage.
The glory of spring and summer forests
depends largely on the prevalence OF the
honey-suckle family. We have a good
dozen beautiful and fragrant specimens.
Our spring woods are always lovely with
rosy mas ses of the wild honey-suckle, which
so much resembles the azeleas that only
close student of nature can discern the
difference. It's in the height of its beauty
after the aZelea has ceased 10 bloom and
is the first OF the long pageant of glo-
riOus summer flowers. THE trumpet honey
suckle is familiar along fences and high
ways, and gives infinite life and variety
to the dullest and most prosaic surround
ings. We have yellow-flowered species
that is lovely in the extreme. The Jap
anese honey-suckle is a native of many OF
our woods, and is mostly found close TO
the spot where the wood thrush and other
beTry-eating songsters have their meeting
place.
ALONG THE ROADS.
Those residents Of the city who are given
TO country drives will now see all along
the roads, aud on the outskirts of cultivated
fields, tau snowy white flower known
as the wild carrot. They are graceful aud
stately looking, and make the landscape
picturesque aud attractive for the passerby,
but they are the bane of the florist, and the
despair OF the farmer According to popu-
lar verdict, the wild carrot is the ''peski-
est weed of this vicinity, aud 1t seems hard
TO believe that it is an offshoot or that
quiet, respectable garden vegetable, the
edible carrot Carrots seem to be very
old as q food staple. Pluy, the elder,
speaks of this delicious essence in broth.
They have been eaten in England since the
days OF the Tudors. Parkinson says that in
the Elizabethan period carrots were in
high favor, the ladies carrying their ad-
miration to the extent of wearing wild
carrot flowers in their hair on state oc-
| casions. Itissad to ina glue the Woe -begone
| appearance a court lady must have presented
| after few minutes in hot crowded bali
| room.
The corn cookie is another trespasser
| on cultivation, and is found in large mum
| bers in the grain fields. 1t is lovely
| inappearance, and olienientare we mortals
| prone to be, when vice puts on the resemblance
| OF beauty, that the friends of the coru-
! cookie are numerous. Even the bad repu-
| tation which 1t receives in the parable of
| the good sbandmau and the enemy who
sowed his field with cookie, does not pre-
vent us from loving these mischief making
| flowers, which. with ''their blue eyes with
tears DER flowing, stand like Ruth amid
the golden corn"
We have also another troublesome in
truder, this one OF foreign extraction, and
| less tolerable, the blue vetch. This flower
which is scarcely pretty enough for us
| TO forgive its bad habits Is an emigrant
from England. Many garden lovers have
often devouuy wished our energetic fore
fathers had allowed it to remain on it's
native shores. The brilliant poppy is also
| of foreign extraction, but now, it has
become so prevalent that il literally glori
| fjes our rural districts with vivid patches
of color.
ORCHIDS ARE UNIQUE.
In that most fascinating of the floral
families, the orchid, we have five native
specimens The orchid has lately been the
object of SO much scientific research, and
| the magnificent display of these uniqu,
! flowers at the Worlds Fair has a Weakened
| a deep interest in all its peculiarities Its
| Interesting mechanism, and the many
strange habits, repay the most earnest
study. The snowy orchid, or preacher
In the pulpit" is our best specimen. It's
radiant beauty begins TO dot the woods In
early May. In August the rein-orchid
blooms, aud the ragged friDged orchid is
| often seen through the summer in ouI
swamps and marches. Adam and Eve is
a very pretty species, and derives it's name
from the fact, that it brings forth leaves
at least three months before it flowers.
We have many pleasing kinds of wild