The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-10-22
HAS iT HUMAN LtFEY
4 TREE in wAsniNuroN wffici fs
soMETHINa OF 4 CtRtosfrY.
Washington Star.

A TREE IN WASuiNuTON WHICH IL
soMETHINa OF i CURtosfrY.
Washington Star.
Near the western bbrdcr Of Dupont
Circle stahds tree that has q privil.
egc not aecordGd other shade trees Of
Washington. Nature has endowed u
With what we riiortals consider o very
Happy faculty, nati,clyi to enjoy d
peaceful slumber every night. Many
shrubs and numerous species of nowcrS
have a time OF rest, eitlef BY day OF
night; at least, that Is What We guess
from the Changed attitude bf their
leaves and petal, but this biz fellow,
who goes to sleep at regular hour
every evening and in summer tIthe
even by daylight right before ohr eyed
and In d public park, has a tnetll0d
quite his own in pteparing himself for
the tiight. Ills action is SO apparent,
quiet and curious that he deserves
to be noticed; in fact. 1t is somewhat
to be wondered at that htbody ever
noticed this stranger and his sttahyE
action bef0rc-n0t even the very alert
watchman and guardian of the floral
display Of the park.
That this tree Is IL ftjreIgfl extrac.
tion and Of high lineage there will be
no need OF telling when we learn that
his name is Albizzia Julibrissin, hav.
ing been christencd SO by an Italian
botanist by the name OF Durazz0 I'd
honor Of a member Of the most noble
family Of the Albizzi OF Florence, who
probably had also been a b0tanist.
The tree, however, is an origina! OF
Japan and known there as the Japan.
ese silk tree. Why IL Is called silk tree
IS not known to the writer, but the
suppOsition is that the silky appear;
ance OF the blossoms might have oriH-
mated it. How this tree came here
and found its way to Dupoht Circle
probably only Colonel Bingham, a.
chief Of the public parks and grounds
and custodian OF the records and pedi.
grees Of our exotic trees can tell.
Soon after o'clock in the evening q
general motion is noticed In the 10:
liage, a quiyer or trembling Of the
bipinnate leaves. Each leanet begins
to stand up on edge and pairs with
the one opposite. They clasp each
other tightly and close up with the
other on the petiole, so that each be-
comes coverlet 0ver half Of the pre-.
ccding one. The entire TRANSFORMED
tion takes place In about 20 minutes,
and usually at 7:30 the respiratory
organism OF this tree hangs limp Ut
droopy on the branches. 1t was at
irst supposed that the approach Of
darkness or the humidity OF the at
mosphere, or even the change OF TEN!
perature, had something to do in pro-
ducing a slecpy.like condition In this.
tree, but numerous experiments have
proved that it Ia not so. Little
branches have been taken of and
kept In dark room ut an early hour.
The leaves remained expanded until
the hour OF 7, when they began III
close as II they were still on the tree,
and the same action was repeated for
several days as long as water could
keep them fresh. There is a plant
among our own flora that Is IN every
particular like this sleeping tree; In
fact, a diminutive albizzia In many
ways. This is the sensitive pea, Cas-
sia Camaecrista, a weed growing along
our country lanes with yellow flowers,
and bearing y fruit diminutive pease.
This little weed is, however, a sensi-
tive plant, while the tree is not 50 In
the least. The former shuts Its leaf.
lets when touched at any hour Of the
day, but ut night goes to sleep In the
fashion AZ the latter.
As we cannot obtain a tree for homo
observation we might secure a healthy
plant Of this sensitive pea, have II
carefully planted in q flower pot, so
that we can watch II every evening
when 1t retires for the night. No one
has more beautifully delineated with
pen and pencil the action Of drOwsy
shrubs and nodding flowers than our
much lamented artist, Hamilton Glib
son, and he has done more to awaken
in our young people anfinterest in the
many wonders Of plant life than thu
scientific teachers Of botany. He has
shown tina: nature Is not at IA tllt that
we do not more admire our wild how1
ers. We find on close investigation
that there are plants that have histo.
ries as wonderful as our characters Of
romance. Their feats and accomplish
ments are often equal to thoseof many
ordinary n1Urtals.
----e>9 - Ans--------
The farmers wife who takes ten
dozen eggs to market and gets less
sugar for them than she got for eight
dozen three months ago will not study
a long time before she understands
how y tariff bill that increases the
price Of sugar appreciates the price Of
Ieyss. -.
An exchange says \ Nttle girl, who
had been taught To pray for others and
| g. MAJ. nA ann :. hn<l s,x.sSAA sspv