The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-05-25
A POPPY TALK.
Sunbeam
Are you fond of peoples?

am. The gorgeous, tropical-looklng
things! Haunting their wings like gay
butterflies in every passing breeze.
l was going to say everyone could
grow peoples. and yet friend with dole
full signs complained to me last summer,
as we roamed around my garden, that
she never had bit Of luck with
poppies."
"Why, just see that beauty and
she ran along the path and lowered near
a clump of them. fonding them and
hunting for seed vessels. Il do believe
a teafaucer would not cover these; and
such exquisite coloring-so double; and
yet scarcely think they are any more
beautiful than those single ones with
the paint sd petals.
"Why is it your garden is always filled
with the finest peoples | ever saw?
When and how do you plant them?'
"Lettie,' said with tragical air. I
never plant poppy seed after the 18th
OF April, and, if possible, i throw few
poppy plant comes up in the garden--no
matter whereby commands are laid
upon the person who hoes the garden
never to disturb it, or to do 30 at his
peril; this accounts for the number of
beauties you see everywhere over my
garden. They require no particular
culture, but they must be planted early.
like sweet peas, to insure successful
and thrifty growth. The heat of sum-
mer, coming upon single plants, shrivels
and stunts them, ano watering does no
good. They are hard to transplant, but
may be removed if carefully handled at
evening, before rain, and covered for
few days. But it is better to plant them
where they are to remain, or if they self
SOW seed, allow them to stand, no matter
where they are. They revel in the broad
sunlight after attaining strong growth.
and make the whole garden gay with
glorious coloring. l plant few of the
new kinds, or novelties, every year; in
this way, you see, | have gotten together
quite variety. Those Shirley peoples
have been in my garden since their first
intro luction. Here are some rosebuds;
aren't they cute? And this snowdrift,
have you noticed it? think my collec-
ton of peoples hard to beat, and l find
myself admiring them every morning;
for | never fail to have turn in my
garden when the dewdrops glisten en-
the lovely, satiny things"
AS we rambled around the large gar
den, bordered here and there with fra
grant mignonette or sweet alyssum, l
said: ut is always habit of mine, il l
grow plant. to have very strong de-
sire to be come intimately acquainted
with it. So have studied up the poppy
family. / find they are natives of many
parts of the world. You have seen those
Iceland peoples, natives of Siberia; | had
them last year. This p. Oriental came
from Armenia; it is a perennial. See
what immense scarlet flowers it has! Do
not fail to plant this; they are gorgeous.
I am fond of the peony lowered class,
fringed and double. have been told by
some persons that opium comes from the
seeds, but they have no somnific influ-
ence whatever. Try them; they taste
like hazelnuts. Opium comes from the
milky juice which exudes when the
green capsule is punctured."
"Well, well, your little floral chat on
the poppy has interested me, and I'll
save few of these seeds and try my
luck next year. What pity they are
not fragrant! So many of these have
such sickly odor," said Lettie.
you cannot expect every good quail
ity in one plant. Be satisfied they are
such brilliant. snowy flowers, and take
sprig of mignonette for fragrance
Minnie r. Waggoner. IN Womankind.