Evening star., 1932-07-19
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

game of primrose watching, will return
from time to time to see II anything
has happened yet"
Nothing at all has happened.
Those puds look as tightly furled now
as they did half an hour ago.
The visitor begins to lack faith.
Maybe they won't open tonight.
He locks at his watch.
Half-past Z O'Clock.
Not a petal has stirred.
Darkness is just beginning to fall
over the gardens.
The mysterious craving of the sky.
combined with the intensified green Of
the grass, heralds the short approach Of
true darkness.
Even the great moon, ready at any
instant to break into glory over the
tops Of high flung trees, cannot stop
the deepening Of twilight.
One turns suddenly toward the bios
SONS, hoping to catch them at 1t a
minute ahead of their stated time, de-
creed for them since the beginning, and
apparently never TO change. He looks
in vain.
Mature will not let them change.
Long ago she said, evidently, This is
the time you must open. There is no
need for anxiety on your part. Do not
move until you feel the urge. and then
move for all you are worth!"
The watch shows 7:34 O'Clock. Surely
one OF them will attempt to sneak
something over" on a comrade by
bursting into petals a few seconds
! ahead of the appointed time.
| But one still waits in vain.
Natures children know she Is q stern
mother. She has said, for some mys-
terious reason that 735 is the appoint
ed time. and neither man nor bud shall
hasten her by SO much as a second.
The black hand creeps slowly toward
| the very second
When all-of-a sudden visible
tremor shakes one of the branches.
/ Flower No. l is about to OPEN ladies
and gentlemen!
This way, for the opening of Flower
No. |, the way-shower for 80 or more!
| See the slight branch shake, as the
petals begin to unfold.
/ Click
You can almost hear it, as you can
surely see it. as the first petal un-
sheathes itself, while the long green
bracts begin to loosen their hold.
/ A second petal makes 4 scarcely
audible sound. as it slithers open.
The entire flower is now in commo-
| ton
Plop!
1t is the swapping backward OF the
two long bracts. Immediately followed
| by the almost instantaneous unfurling
of the remaining two petals.
The stem quivers, as the petals give
themselves a final shake into openness
The flower is open. 1t is alive. and
you know 1t. because you have seen it
move itself.
1t has achieved this feat in about 80
seconds. with a precision which will be
repeated, with slight variations. from
now on until the entire plant is clothed
with pale yellow.
First one bud and then another
starts to open. Seldom do two open at
the same time strange floral eti-
quette seems to require that each bios
som stage its own show and that the
remainder remain quiet until it gets
through.
For the next u or Is minutes the
flowers open one by one. now here. now
there, first on one level, then on an
other.
1t is an unusual sight, one which no
owner of this plant should miss, but
which. unfortunately many do fail to
see, owing to one thing or another II
YOU have a primrose plant Of the right
variety, first discover its opening time.
and then be present at its subsequent
evening coming out parties.