The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-04-22
Bill Ar[p'S Letter.

or shamrock plant Tor the national low
er.
fl the sixth century 'he Ncsmans in
valei Wales aaa just before a great
battle one darn cloudy evening Che,
Welsh went through \ @slt who're tho
leeks or Will onions were in hioom. ara
every man plucked one ana stnEk is in
his nat 50 a. 10 distinguish 'hctr soldiers
nom the enemy AMI IS This m,a. they
whipped the fchf and saved thet- eouu-
Try. After that they took The Ieck for
their national hover
When Napoleon Ronapartc oycrrau
Germany and the emperor and his family
had 10 ny from Berlin ana conceal them
selves he was aWfuly distressed and tho
liked 10 have perShed Rgt his old mot
er made garlands 90 a little Mild now
OF. known as the corn flower or kaiser
blnme, and put them on him and chcer,d
him up. AMI when Bouaparto Vas van
qishucd the emperor adopted that liftlc
Wild flower as the national emblem.
When Louis VII started out on tho
Crusadcs he chose tho iris as his badge
and when he returned with his army IL
was adopted as the nation flower This
is enough OF national flowers. / wish
We had one for our nation. and Va Viii
have one when this Federation II WON
7.
| hope it Will hc the golden rod n
grows from Maine 10 Mexico and bends
its graceful head in field and forest.
The reason l got TO Illuminating about
flowers was because our good ladies Rat,.
an entertainment the other ntea, which
was quite original and peculiar II was
called the enchanted garden. There we're
twelve pretty flowers painted on long
curtain and in front OF them was au
old gardener teaching n pretty littlv rul
her first lesson in flowers. He told her
their origin and how they got their names
and whenever he mentioned one OF the
flowers that was on the curtain and point
Cd to It. that flower disappeared ae IF
by enchantmcnt and in its place there
appeared the face OF a pretty girl or
woman, who sang song that fitted the
Hower-such songs as only a Pansy Bios
som, THE Last Rose of summer"
Pond Lilies - Bunch or Daisies etc.
At intervals between the songs the old
gardener told his pupil how Clyta fell
in love with Apollo, the god OF the sun.
and She gazcd upon him SO continually
that he got tired Of it and turned her
into heilotrope, for this Greek word
means turned by the sun And how
Apollo's cup bearer was a very handsome
boy and Apollo loved him so much tnat
another boy killed him through envy and
bis dead body was changed into a hya-
cinth
The Greek spelling is Yacinthus and
Apollo stamped the Greek lcttcr y on
every petal, and it is there yet. Aui
how a very vain and handsome youth
spent all Of his time looking AT him
self in a fountain of clear water ard ono
day he fell in and was drowned aad
oh fr.n
sus And how the carnation was always
a pink or flesh color for the Greek word
carnos means flesh but now IT is of all
colors And how dandclIon means e lion :
tooth from the shape OF It's leaves, and
the tulip means a tuban and the geranl-
um means cranes bill from tn" shape
of its seed pods, and the nasturtium
means nose twistcr. for when You smell
it or taste the seed the pungcnt odor and
taste make YOU draw UP your face anf
curl up your nose. And the old man told
about many others. and it seems that ~"
rot only got the names Of the daTs and
the months and the stars from ancient
mythology. but we have even kept the
names Of their flowers.
If flowers were as scarce as diamonds
and pearls they would bring much high
Ell price. for they are really more beau
tiful A kind Providence made the best
ard most beautiful things the most abun-
dant so that the poor might have them
as we'll as the rich. IT does not take
money TO buy sunshine nor shower nor
the green grass nor the songs of birds
nor the daisies and lilies that adorn the
fields and meadows.
The great poets books are full of beau
tiful thoughts about flowers. Shake
peare's lament over the death OF Imogen