The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-08-24

tilS rest' AL lne end or edcn Altle tenn this same arrangement Is repeated; there is a wee knob, tiny involucels, and circle after circle of wiry stems as fine as a hair, each uplifting It's own little five-petaled fioweret of white, with infinitislmal stamens of palest yellow. Sixty of the larger stems have been counted in a single umbrel of Daucus Carota, but patience failed in counting the flower stems for which each of these was responsible. Break away one of the stems and you find 1t a reproduction in miniature of the entire umbrel, though somewhat less regular in shape. Upon the longer stems of the cluster the involucels are l long, and three or four flowers are much larger than the rest by reason of an enlargement of the three outer petals. And by the way, all the petals seem to be puckered on to the summit 1 of the fiower-stalk, so that there is no end of 'frills." These larger flowers seem to be an ingenious device for i filing out the rim of the disk where there, is the most space. s | And what is in the very center of the entire cluster? A tiny insect with fold | ed wings, resting from it's wanderings? It takes close examination to assure one self that it Is not a. cunning bug | let but a flower, deep purple or choco- | late brown in color, with it's own little | leg to stand on and two funny little up- | lifted arms. What Is it's purpose de- | ponent sayeth not. Doubtless Daucus Carota knows. Perhaps she put It there when prinking, by way of con- trast in ornament; perhaps she meant to humbug us by it's resemblance to a | bug
 | The ingenuity of this flowers con- struction, planned, seemingly, by a mathematical formula, in order to in sure perfect symmetry, and it's profu- sion of tiny blossoms, which are not I purely white because of the delicate l green that underlies them and shim- mers between them, render it more and more marvellous to the eye that search es out its secrets And with the fall- ing of the diminutive petals not all its beauty disappears. The expanding seed vessels clothe thenselve in little plush Jackets; the outer rings of stems curve upward and inward until they form a cup, harsh to the touch without but all velvety within. Now we see how 1t I gained another folk-name--" birds lnest plant" Very dainty nests they are, too, fit cradles for bird-babies or fairy princesses. When these are brown and sere the last trace of Dau- GUS Carotes beauty vanishes. But new CT mind, Summer brings her back again more careless. and more lavish and free than ever-wicked little weed, Wild Carrot!
 One of the most beautiful arrange
 ments of flowers ever seen by the
 writer was of choice garden beauties in tall silver epergne. Surrounding
 them was what appeared to be ruffie of lace, but no fabric wrought by hui
 man hands ever held itself so stifiy
 and yet was as airy and delicate as if woven of cobwebs with the moonlight
 and the dew upon them. Upon inspec-
 tion this frill proved to be only a row of
 wild carrot blossoms, gathered in the
 fitness of their perfection by one who
 had taste enough to see the beauty
 In a common weed and to make use of it's daintiness to set off the rich color-
 ings of rarer flowers.
 This is not plea in defense of Wild
 Carrot. She has been adjudged pest ] and her extermination is advised for
 the protection of more useful products
 of the soil--a just penalty for not know
 ing enough to make herself scarce.
 Perhaps we can do something to-
 ward exterminating her by making her
 fashionable Should wild carrots be
 gathered as daisies are, or golden-rod
 there'd be fewer ''bird's nests" going tc
 seed to replenish the earth another sea
 son, and strangers sojourning among
 us would have less reason to upbraid
 us, in the columns of our own morning
 papers, as lawlees and protectors oi
 outlaws. Pull up Carota, root and
 branch, whenever you have opportuni- ty, if you would be known as law
 abiding citizens. But do not say that
 she Is without grace and loveliness
 Take one of her dainty. lace parssols
 home with you and examine it closely
 the more narrowly the better. If your
 eyes are holden so that you cannot
 even then seen the beauty in way side weed, be regretful for your de
 privations. Yet you can never regret
 them enough, for you will never realize what they are. HILARY. N ---------------------.---r--