The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-03

mean to study out the ones that are OBJ
viously unlike. The one aster that I
know by its own special name Is that
large deep purple one. That is the New
England aster. It has been extensively
cultivated in the east and in England. The
Britishers call 1t the Christmas or Mich
aelmas daisy. In cultivation, there is an
other variety, beautiful pink. This fall
I have been transplanting asters and on
these New England asters alone I calcu-
late that I have saved enough to pay car
fare for all of my jaunts for the month.
have not stopped with these, .altho they
are the showiest variety we have, and the
one now almost universally offered by the
nurserymen.
II already have a clump Of the rather
small feathery white blossoms In long
, plumes with some low lavender ones sur
rounding it. and it is the prettiest thing
I had in my garden In September. My
asters and other autumnal wild plants
have furnished me cut flowers when all
| my ANIMALS had succumbed to hard rains
| and wind I have had for years In my
| graden some pretty and much beloved
! ciumps Of spring blossoms, the gleanings
Of my spring botanizing expeditions, but
have always thought I was too busy
to pay much attention to autumn flowers.
| Now, I am trying to round out my col
| lection.
"Snakeroot Is an artistocrattc looking
| flower, as fine as any cultivated white
| flower I know. The other day I was
driving with a friend who asked me the
names Of this and that. We didn't hap
pen to see any snakeroot, but she de-
scribed 1t so accurately that I named it
promptly. She thought I didn't know
the plant she meant; she couldn't believe
! that SO elegant a flower could have sc
| unpleasant name. She had been in the
habit of using 1t in funeral decorations
but the name has spoiled it for this use.'
Having turned into the meadows while
the chatter of flowers was going on, Mi.
randa began to look about more carefully
and to caution the girls to keep their eyes
open. quick exclamation came from
Barbara and she held up triumphantly 6
tall stalk with tightly closed blue flow
ers in every leaf angle and at the end o.
the stem.
, Just see this lovely blue flower; 1
isn't open yet but it's beautiful as it is
; Its just open as it's ever going t
be-" said Miranda, taking the stem 4
her hand. This is the closed gentia
, and Barbara has found one of the treas
ures Of which I was in search but sti
not the chief one. Suppose we decide t
r meet on that little hillock yonder an
4 spread out and see what we can fine
|
= are filled with water"
: Fifteen minutes later at the ,rendezvou
It a dry knoll covered with scrub oaks an
S sumach that famed scarlet in the la.
rays of the sun, Miranda beamed triun
IL phanty as she asked, "Well, did yc
d find anything new?" af:s1-..'.e, =
6 Melissa held up a slender, delicate sta
on which nodded three long pointed bl,
= blossoms, the tips of whose petals SCENE
d twisted together, and said: This seen
a like another closed gentian, altho the plal
Al is more ETHEREAL 49, ..y. &c.. p
s. Melissa has discovered the object
~ my quest" said Miranda. land I -four
y a few sprays, too, but it Is not clos
gentian, you will discover when Y,
set your vase holding the flowers in t.
40 sun tomorrow. Then 1t will spread
e widely as possible it's four cerulean bl
- petals and seem to reach skyward. The
- when you see the delicately cut edg,
N you will all guess that you have fou
+ the fringed gentian, the greatest fol
-, treasure of the autumn. I have new
a. heard of it's being found in more tn
~ two or three localities about here alt
A. it used to be rather common along MINI
haha creek and in the ravines near
to falls and along the river. It grows gu
n J profusely in certain spots, but these g
ne infrequent and hard to find and as it