The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-11-15
4 FEAST ON
THE FLOWERS
Midsummer Event With the
AraIia as Centre of Attraction
for Fitting Tl1rong of Guests

There is a midsummer festival out
ON my lawn today, surprising in
-uIeDdor and Voluptuousness the
ras1merian feast OF the roses. 1t is
f:oh noon with the jewellers, and l
ana an obtrusive, but deeply interest,"
"a spectator.
My Aralia Is at the apOgee of bios
SOM, and has six enormous trusses
If greenish yellow flowers browning
it's entire summit. This lavish and
caudy floral display has attracted
vast numbers Of nectar-gathering in
saclS. SO that l am reminded of an
uyer-croWded cafe, located in some
delicious foreign garden, where each
guest is struggling to be served at the
same time.
No flowers in all the perfuned
r,uln1s Of Flora are so popular today,
Grape myrtles, sandy phlOxes in
blossom all about it, spreading their
dainty tables OF pink ana white love-
luess-cannas, with golden burning
uns upturned, sun kissing and sun
ktsscd-the precious altar, from a
thousand rose-peta!s melting upon
the ar. and rising like fumes OF
rTankinCense from censers swung by
invisible hands-the double distilled
aInalgam from the gardenia's sweet
alcnbic is ready to be quaffed-Eet
"Il-all these ere spurned and ignored
today for this ambrosian Araiia, tit to
blossom in the garden Of Epicurus-
tN day lifting its golden grail up to
the ON unmeasured blue, at night
I'll nding it's odor with h sweet in
flCnces OF Ple:ades.'
he very aristocracy of insect life
is dining here today. and the cos
tunes of the banqueters are both rich
and gaudy-golden cinctured lady
irridescent like Cyprian glass, humble
bees, great and small, honey nees.
syTphid flies, halictus bees, ~frerf.Il
hornets, and butterflies disporting
their bejeweled wings. and weary of
the sultry summer heat, pause tinid-
~ but a moment to sip, and again
float off in mid-air The syrphidian's
sharp metallic note meits with the
humble bees deep droning bass into
L drowsy tremulous harmony-wing-
ed diapasons beating time to the
merry dance Of the sunbeans.
Every twig IS motionless, and as
each nectared corrolla, at happy over
flow, is quaffed, it's ever filled again.
the summer air in "perfumed chalice
lies the odOT of the neW-InoWn
clover hangs dense above he turf.
while over all is poured the p~ulsating
sea Of golden sunshine.
It would be intenselv interesting to
visit their skeps, and collect the Var1-
GUS forms of honey each OF these gay.
and busy bre~adwinnerS produce from
this same floWer-When We are stud
led from their point of view how slow
and bungling must seem our locomo-
ton, how gross and sordid our appe-
tites, how ignoble u pursuits,
how intensely inhuman our
M buzzing of innumerable wings
h~urrying, scurrying. riOting-some de-
parting. some returning. shake down
= enow-storm Of golden pollen upoT
the grass, verify the "crumbs from
the rich mans table" but tomorrow
the song and the reVel viii cease, the
winged legions viii DEPART, for the
AraHa will drop its precious flowers
to the earth, to ming1e with the dus1
Teluctantly-as a mother Yields he1
sweet babe to the merciless grave
Hours fly,
Flowers die,
New days.
New ways
Pass by.
Love stays
RICHARD BILLIARD
"Beverlv Tall" EdentOn. ~ {.
Keeping Up Appearances.
(A+1anto ConCtitntioO