CHAPTER II 

 DANDELIONS 



Gold such as thine ne'er drew the Spanish prow 



Through the primeval hush of Indian seas, 

 Nor wrinkled the lean brow 



Of age, to rob the lover's heart of ease. 

 Tis the spring's largess, which she scatters now 

 To rich and poor alike. 



Lowell's lines "To a Dandelion" 



AMONG the works of man whatever is accu- 

 rately planned and exquisitely made is costly, and 

 therefore uncommon. We are apt to think that 

 the same rule holds in Nature, and that it is only 

 the rare things which are marvellous in design and 

 in construction. But in Nature it is the com- 

 monest things which are the most wonderfully 

 made. They are common just because they are 

 so nicely adapted to the conditions of their lives 

 that they are able to starve down and crowd out 

 rivals which are not so well equipped for the 

 battle of existence. Hothouses and horticultural 

 exhibitions can show nothing more wonderful than 



some vagabond and outcast weeds. A plant which 



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