The Penn's Grove record., 1904-04-29
THE GRAND SOUTH RIVER
The Beautiful Flora Of This Region
Described
Mr.. EDITOR,

IA lbNN WA vi = A& 'b'
Described
Mr.. EDITOR,
Some years ago heard one OF your
townsmen say 81 do not want to leave
the old River, when asked why he did
not 90 to Salem to live. | did not then
understand the charm of living along a
great River, but since | have made sew.
eral visits to your Borough, on each O
which occasion, l never miss a stroll up
or down its banks, I too, would be loath
to leave had l grown up beside it.
Your locality has another charm
which perhaps is not so generally appre-
ciated as your grand old South River, $50
called by the early Dutch who made
the first white settlement that we hav0
any record OF on it shores). You may
already be familiar with the story OF
the origin of our state. However, | will
venture to repeat, viz. "After all the rest
of world was made the Creator had a few
udluluLo Vi rollS, ooHOo, oOONo "hNt
what-not left over which he threw down
and called New Jersey. And this is
claiming by our neighbor state, to be
the reason why our little state has a
more diversified flora than any other in
the union"
About Penn's Grove a very great many
kinds of seeds must have fallen. Your
very road sides are ever a source OF fas-
c~inating interest to the student OF nature,
whether amateur or professional. In the
woods scarcely out OF your town-limits,
in the month of May may be found
orchids-terrestrial ones Of course-called
the moccasin-fower, because of their
suggestiveness to the footwear of the
American Indian. As the place seems to
be an ideal n for that particular gem
era OF plants, | have no doubt there are
others to be found in June to August,
which are the favorite months for bloom
ing.
How can we know all orchid? It's bloom
is always of peculiar appearance, oftimes
resembling an insect or some animate ob-
ject. Its corolla like parts are six and ir-
regular, three set without alternating with
the three within, one of the latter always
larger and different from the others.
The real key to the family secret is til
way d. only one or sometimes two sta
me IL are born Oh or connected with the
style or stigma and the peculiar appear
ance OF the coherent mass es OF pollen.
The stamens are often two-celIed and
the pollen masses are indeed fantastic
Our moccassin flower not only has its two
anthers, one Oh each side OF the style.
but has also a trowel-shaped body Oh the
upper side, which answers to the one
alone present in other orchids.
1t was two years ago that | had the
long desired pleasure Of a good ramble in
your highways and byways, in company
with three of your t-ownswomen. 1t was
altogether delightful to us, who did
not have to sit front and dive with one
hand and hold on to our hats with the
other, for boreas was abroad that day
helping nature to finish up her spring
house-cleaning, we concluded.
1t was fine in the first wood to winch
we went, with its grand old native trees
and it orchids but not many OF her flowers
except v%iolets, yoilets, voilets and the
fresh grown ferns that gave a promise Of
future luXuriance.
We went back to the carriage and passed
on over to the home Of the late Mr..
George Locuson, where we were welcomed
by the young ladies who accompanied US
into the bit of wood directly i'll front
OF their place,
1t is just the most enchanting little gar
den OF nature, so many beauties right there
together. Great beds of the dainty wind
flower and the rue m that make Us
think of the milky way. The mandrakes
so carefully shielding their waxy offspring
that look large and rusty enough to take
care of themselves. A little earlier these
plants present a very droll appearance
with their partly unfurled umbrellas.
The cranes-bill or nature eranium give
the note of stronger color to natures car
| peting and Jacobs ladder lent another
of cerulean blue. Then there are the
handsome waving Solomon seals with
dangling unopened flowers and the false,
with it's crest of creamy foam. And there
were the bell-Worts from which you al
most expected to have a fairy like tim
kle. Again %violetsl Of every hue and
color. In fact, they must have been hold
ing a family reunion, for from the tiny
viola bland to the handsome bird-foot
violet were present, even the so called
dog-tooth violet was there, not that il
was a real kin, for it is a lily.
"The little sisters OF the snow the
blood-root blossoms were gone and only
their handsome leaves were left to tell
their story and to make new bedsto COM
before they themselves do the next year.
We also found many plants that would
bring forth bloom later in the season.
We had been SO delighted with wha'
we saw below that we had scarcely raised
our eyes, but now have come to an open
space on the edge of which is a flash o.
white that challenged u attention o.
rather invited us almost audlbly to hele
ourselves to the d~og-wood's decorative