The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-04-25
ENGLISH GRASSY RoADSIoES.
They Add Immensely to the Beauty
OF the Country.

OF the Country.
The beauty and the vegetation of
the road margin, though varying
with locality and soil. conforms in
each to a certain order. By the great
high roads in the agricultural coun-
ties this roughly corresponds to the
lawn. flower and background of
shrubs of the cultivated garden. The
finest turf that grows, except that
which has for 500 years been cOrpped
by the cattle of the New Forest,
fringes the highway. 1t owes its
quality. first. TO the passing travellers,
feet. which have pressed it for cenf
turies without wearing it away,
and. secondly. to the constant powder7
ing with road dust. the finest and
most nourishing of grass fertilizers
The herbage consists mainly of hee
tiniest clOvers and the bestlawn grass
les. Between the turf and the hedge
lies the roadside flower garden, to
which the fence forms a background
of shrubbery. On the level margin
OF the fat-bordered roads tbis is also
4 preserve of wild herhacec plants.
Among the dwarf bushe3 Df bram-
bic, rest harrow and dog fe, or on
the rougher. and less-tro5 en margin,
where these do not hd gsh, grows
the legion of roadside flowers. 1t rs
the ground sacred to tht Wild snap
dragon. the musk thistlei cranes bill
and specdwcli. eye bright and white
'nettlc. pink conyolv!lus and wild
carrot. malIow. and the blink clover.
Some plants seem to love the dust
ana sun nearest to the roadway.
Aaron's rod. pink nettles, gray scab-
ious. and the bright blue vipers bu-
gloss and penr{wOrt thrive with IA
coating of dust flashed off by pass
ing showers. y heavy soil the way
side needs a ditch to drain the road
therefore. meadow sweet, loosestrife.
vetch. and .'eherry-pie, = and all the
ditch plants flourish there. When
the road is bordered sby = running
stream the dural wealth of this way
side garden is doubled or trebled.
The refraction of the sun from the
road the cOnfnementOf the fences, the
wattN dust and light. here force the
roadside vegetation to the utmost.
There crows the largest marsh mari
nolds. the longest hart's tongues. the
taIlcst teazles. and the greenest bur-
docks. Butterflies and birds ofcertain
species always prefer the roadside to =
any other haunt: The sociable yell.
lowhammers and whitethroats seldom
leave the road hedges, and partridges
have a special liking for this danger
Gus nesting place.
Where the road is cut deep and the
margins slope upwards, the charac-
ter of the flower border changes.
Loosely growing grasses take the
place of the compact turf, and these
are set in spring with beds OF white
and purple violets, Star of Bethlehem,
white nettle. steedwel and celandine,
and later with masses of mallOws and
ragged robin. The ants and humble
bees are the characteristic insects of
these warm borders the former piling
their hills among the loose grasses,
and the latter burrOwing in the warm
slopes. There the old country-women,
active and Industrious to the last.
come to gather the medicinal plants,
which seem to grow no where else ex-
cept by the rOadsides. No one but
these old danes knows the plants by
sight. though they all fetch their
price when sent up in bundles to the
dealers in Convent Garden.-LondOn
Spectator.