The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-25
PLANTS THAT EAT Unwary Insects Find Them and Are Found by
 Them. SOME INTRICATE TRAPS How the Pitcher Plants and Other Carnivorous Plants
 Work.

"The most extraordinary and won- derful of the plants found in this country" says a well known botanist, ''are those generally called 'carnivor- ous' or 'insectivorous' plants. In some of these are to be found remarkably intricate traps which are set for the unwary insect, who visits them under the impression that he will get sweet meal, only to find out when too late that. he he who comes a-dining fur nished a food morsel for the host in the end.
 "As early as 170S it was discovered that the Venus flytrap of North Caro- lima catches insects. This now well known plant grows in North America l from Rhode Island to Florida. It is a small herb with a small circle of leaves which lie flat on the ground. Each ! leaf ends in d nearly circular piece which is divided by a very marked midrib. The two semi-circular halves have series of teeth along their edges; these margin teeth are stiff and little bent upward. In the center of each half there are three small hairs. l If you look closely at these hairs you will find that each has a joint near the base, while all over the center of the leaf halves there are scattered 1 glands which secrete ferments intend ed to digest any animal matter
 "The really interesting point is con nected with these central jointed hairs: they are extremely sensitive But wonderful to relate. when they are touched it is not they themselves that are affected. but the entire circular end of the leaf
 Suppose an insect, attracted by tn, brilliant color of the leaves of thu plant alights upon the leaf Nothinr happens until in the course of its wan derings the insect gets into one O these semi-circular halves and touche one of the hairs, when both halve suddenly close together, exactly like rat trap The sensitive hairs. when tn two halves shut up together fol, down, the teeth on the edges nterlocl like the teeth of a trap, and the insec is caught and imprisoned Ere long tn 7 captive is covered with secretion un . der which it Is slowly digested. A lon time is required by the plant to diges 3 it's food, sometimes as much as thre ] weeks
 Another curious family of Ameri : can trap setters are the commonl called pitcher plants or trumpets (Sar
 racenia) One species abundant Florida Is called the side saddle plan The leaves are about six inches to
 foot long and are hollow, funnel shaped tubes with a short flat win along one edge. They may be an inc or two in diameter at the top or wid CT end, where there is also 8 sort ( half open lid which keeps rain froi getting inside of the leaf. The color ( these leaves is very conspicuou brown, red or yellow, which attract 7 the insects. About their openins = these pitchers are coated with swc, i substance which draws insects on tt
 wing, while crawling insects fin
 patches of honey along the rim !,
 wing of the vase. The hungry little i, = truders explore until they pass il
 boundary line of sweets and come
 where for space the surface is niyi -~ ly polished. Nearer the depth of Il
 pitchers their roadway changes to or
 over myriads of stiff little bristl pointed downward. Turning in hope
 regalning the sugar land is futile,
 each one of these points is facing
 and they are as keen as unguardt
 swords. The roor insect struggles, b
 it slowly, but surely slides lower a,
 lower. until iirally 1t falls into DC | of water which fills the love- part
 the vase The body of the insect aft
 a time decays and only the emp
 shell rc,nains.
 An extraordinary nunbHr of insec
 are caught by these pitcher plants
 have found r. ants which y,"e only
 inches long to have an acclin ulatl
 of three or four inches of insec E Birds occasionally visit them ard r . the plant of part of its prey.
 There is probably secretion the water, as l have noticed a cen ,,. pede about two inches in length whi