Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-07-04
GRASSY RoADsIDEs.
r1or,l Beauties Found Ase1g she High
ways of England

r1,r., Eseautfes Found AIeag She High
ways of England
The beauty and the vegetation OF the
road margin, though varying win To-
cality and soil, conform in each to-a Ger
tain order. BY the great high roads IN
the agricultural counties this roughly
corresponds to the lawn, flower border
and background of shrubs of the culti-
waited garden. The finest turf that
grows. except that. which has for 500
years been cropped by the cattle of the
New Forest, fringes the highway IL
owes its quality first to the passing trav-
elers' feet, which have pressed it for CEN
turtles without wearing 1T away, and
econdly to the constant powderinS with
road dust, the finest and most flourish
ing of grass fertilizers. The heritage
consists mainly of the tiniest clcvers
and the best lawn grasses. 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 fiat-bordered roads
this is also preserve of wild herbaceous
plants.
Among the dwarf bushes of bramble,
rest-harrow and dog rose, or on the
rougher and less-trodden margin, where
these do not flourish, grows the legion OF
roadside flowers. 1t is the ground
sacred to the wild snap dragon, the
musk-thistle, cranes'-bill and speedwell.
eye-bright and white nettle, pink con-
vovulus and wild carrot, mallow and the
big pink clover. Some plants seem to
love the dust and sun nearest to the road.
way. Aaron's rod, pink nettles, gray
scabious and the bright blue viper's
bugloss and pennywort thrive with a
coating of dust, washed off by passing
- a., -.
needs ditch to drain the road; there
| fore meadow-sweet,lo osestrife vetch and
cherry pie and all the ditch plants
| flourish there. When the road is bor-
| dered by running stream the floral
| wreath of this wayside garden is
! doubled or trebled. The refraction OF
| the sun from the road, the confinement
| of the fences, the water, dust and light,
| here force the roadside vegetation to
| the utmost. There grow the large
marsh marigolds, the longest hart's.
| tongues, the tallest teazles and the
greenest burdocks. Butterflies and
| birds of certain species always prefer
the roadside to any other haunt. The
| sociable yellowhammers and white.
| Threats seldom leave the road hedges,
and cartridges have special liking for
| this dangerous nesting place.
| Where the road is cut deep and the
margins slope upward, the charact er 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,
| speedwell and cclandine and later with
| masses of mallows and ragged Robin.
| The ants and bumblebees are the char
| acteristic insects of these warm borders
the former piling their hills among the
| loose grasses and the latter burrowing
i'll the warm slopes. There the old coun.
try women, active and industrious o the
last, come and gather the medicinal
plants which seem to grow nowhere else
except by the roadsides. 80 one but
these old DANES knows the plants by
sight, though all fetch their price when
sent up in bundles to the dealers in Con-
vent garden--Eondon Spectator.