Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-14

Charley knows the way well, aud | think
we shall not be upset; or, il we do, that it will
not be into a bed of yuccas, or as it is called
here, Spanish bayonets, OF which you may
have seen some specimens in the Northern
gardens. You will remember the group OF
very sharp-pointed leaves, from the centre OF
which rises the high stalk of showy, white
bells.
During the Seminole War this plant saved
the Indians in an attack from the United
states troops. The savages ensconced them
selves in great thicket of the green bayo-
nets being well protected by hard, thick leg
gings and moccasns; but the government sol
diers had not rcckoned on such a barricade
and when they attempted to go through, the
dreadful spines penetrated their trousers, and
caused such suffering they had to retreat.
Tommy never saw this hanging moss before.
Catching Il bunch from a branch, he says, 1T
looks like a snarly hank OF unbleached linen
thread
As we peer at it, looped about everything
on which it can fasten itself, we are aston
ished at its abundance and graceful festoons
We may fancy that the wood fairies have
woven it, and hung it up to hide their merry
flocs from inqusitiye human eyes.
Should we throw little lock of it on a
bush as we go along, we should hnd, when
we came again in two or three weeks, that
it had taken pleasantly to its new quarters,
and had set up an upholstery on its own ac.
count, for it is considered excellent material
for mattresses and cushions.
The next most peculiar thing in the ham,
mock is the palmetto, in all stages of growth,
from the two green tiny swords that hrst APP
rear above the ground to the stubborn, sprawl
ing brushes, and then the tall trees, that
neither give nor take favor, but wave their
long g-handled fans as if to keep away all Ia
miliar approach.
Here is a splendid sample OF his tribe. The
lofty, unbending trunk supports its crown OF
pointed leaves with great dignity. But while
the upper leaves are green and fresh enough,
the lower ones are dead and dragging, and
give trampish and disreputable look TO the
old aristocrat, too proud or too lazy to shake
off his tatters.
1t offers no home to bird, nor even a rest
ing-place. The crows, indeed will gather on
its long punches of berries, which have a tar
ry disagreeable taste; but boys often shin"
m the inhospitable shaft and eat the doubt
full fruit on the principle that "hard earned is
sweet" You need not look around, Tommy;
there are none ripe yet
Some palmettoes do not shed the stems of
their leaves, and these, being left all the way
up from the ground, give the trunk the ap-
pearance of hugely tall waste-paper basket,
filled out at the top by bristling bouquet.
After all, this tree is a striking feature
which could not be spared from the landscape,
and its leaves are made into fans, mats and
hats. and are torn up into fine shreds, to be
used, as the moss is, as a filling for beds.
There are some large leaves on the ground,
Tommy, which you might tie to the end of a
long branch for keeping the flies off of Char
Do you see the little lake peeping at us
from that open space? 1t is all speckled with
white pond-lilies. No, Tommy, you cannot
get them, even with your new fly-brush. You