The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-27

mato, and will grow on almost any soil
that is rich and deep. 1t is hardly
worth while to spend time on the
plant in heavy and cold clay soil, The
tomato never likes to be checked in its
grcwth, and the egg plant is still more
particular on this point.
In the real potato famAy-Solanum or
nightshade-there are also flowers con
spicuous for their beauty. Louis might
well wear the potato flower in his but
t0nhole, for it's prettiness alone Much
resembling this blossom are the pur-
pie clusters of the deadly nightshade-
which is also notable for its large clus-
| tiers of brilliant berries, that are found
on the roadside fences in wild ways,
and occasionally along our more civil
lied highways. The dautro, or trumpet
flower, is found not only in the James
town weed Cor jimsouweed), but in
many improved SORTS, double and sin
gle, and very fragrant, brilliant yell
lows, competing with rich puppies. They
are grown in our gardens with excel
lent effect We should hardly know
what to do without another floral mem
Der of this family, which we have call
ed the petunia-the old Peruvian name
| of petun, slightly modified. This glori-
GUS flower has proved itself capable Of
astonishing notifications, in color and
in size, with some of the most deli
cate markings and peneilings to be
found in our gardens Not a few skilled
gardeners have been proud to associate
their names with improved sorts of this
| flower.
II is curious to find a close relation
ship existing between the potato and
tobacco. This fragrant weed entered in
to consumption with almost equal
promptness, and has more than kept
i pace with the succulent root. Charles
Lamb was not the only one among ;he
old English writer's to describe its
charms, as we'll as the consequences OF
indulgence, in classical literature. 1t is
the one plant that has all of logic
against it and all of custom in It's fa-
vor In an ordinary company of 20 per-
son the nonusers will surely be found
in a minority. 1T fits itself to the siren
ucus life of Americans as a tonic or
lsedatiye 1t furnishes no nutrition, but
is claimed to calm nervous excitability
and to restrain hunger Nicotine Is one
of the most powerful or nerve poisons,
and after producing convulsions kills
the victim by failure of respiration and
paralysis. Tobacco smoke, however,
contains no nicotine, but does contain
other substances producing the same
effect. The cigarette victim finds HIM
self subject to giddiness, faintness, and
after while to intense nausea 1t
seems probable that, as the evils pro-
duced by the use Of tobacco become
better known, and at the same time
more pronounced in effect, that 1t Will
be eliminated from general use. 1t Ger
ltainly is having a marked influence
for mischief on the excitable American
| temperament. I have no room for any
thing like an adequate story Of this
lpestiferous plant. / have never yet
seen o young person who was not dam
aged by It's use, intellectually and NOR.
ally, as well as physically My wonder
remains that parents and teachers, as
well as preachers, can be found who
prefer self-indulgence to a manly ex-
lamnle.
I have not entirely exhausted the
hene1cent and malevolent evolution Of
this Solanum family. Other families Of
plants certainly contain a larger num-
Der of eatable products; but none con-
tains a wider range Of such very di-
verse products as this nightshade or
Solanum- which have preferred to
call the potato family. Some of the
more important members Of this stock
are Of such recent deyelopent that we
warranted in believing that 1t contains
other fruits or roots, that will in due
time become effective agents in the
evolution of mankind Lordly as we as
sumo to be, we are really the products
Of these other families that offer US
their fruits for food or their leaves for
healing.-E, P. Powell in the Independ-
emit