AMERICAN BEAUTY 



227 



AMERICAN LITERATURE 



blossom and its rare coloring. The velvety 

 petals of the showy, fragrant flowers are of a 

 carmine-crimson shade, tinged with soft vio- 



AMERICAN BEATTV 

 Flower, leaves and bud. 



let, and the blossoms are borne on long, thick 

 woody stems. The peculiar hue of this rose 

 is copied in dyes having the name "American 

 Beauty Red." The flower was first produced 

 in a rose nursery in Baltimore, Md., and was 

 introduced to the trade by a florist of Wash- 

 ington, D. C. It is the favorite flower for 



:1 functions where expense is not consid- 

 ered, the choicer specimens bringing hiuli 

 prices. The retail price of the varieties sold 



he ordinary florist shop is three to five 

 dollars per dozen. Authorities on rose culture 

 say that the amateur cannot hope to raise the 



American beauty with success, because this 

 aristocrat among flowers demands skill and 

 training, a certain temperature and a properly 

 constructed hothouse for its cultivation. 



AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR, a 

 national federation of trade unions. For 

 details of its history and organization, see 

 LABOR ORGANIZATIONS. 



AMERICAN GOLD 'FINCH, YELLOWBIRD, 

 or THISTLE-BIRD, sometimes called also the 

 wild canary, is a lively and interesting little 

 songster, found generally throughout' the 

 United States and also in parts of Canada and 

 in Mexico. This bird is about four and three- 

 fourths inches in length. In summer the male 

 is a bright yellow, with black cap, wings and 

 tail; the female is olive brown above, yellow- 

 ish below, with wings and tail much like those 

 of her mate. In the winter time the male dons 

 a more sober coat, and then greatly resembles 

 the female. The nest, a graceful little cup 

 made of grass and vegetable fiber and lined 

 with grass and plant down, is usually placed 

 in a bush or in the crotch of a low tree. The 

 eggs, numbering three to six, are spotlessly 

 white or tinted green or greenish-blue. They 

 are usually laid about the end of June. 



The goldfinch is a sociable bird, and on the 

 approach of spring, the males, dressed in their 

 handsome new coats, may be seen in little 

 groups, sitting on the branches of a tree, 

 basking in the sun and warbling soft, pretty 

 music. These birds are easily tamed, and 

 when placed in cages in the home are almost 

 as delightful a pet as the canary. The gold- 

 finch is very fond of the seeds of the thistle, 

 and thus is of value to man in keeping down 

 the growth of this troublesome weed. 



The House of Seven Gables 



THE STORY QT AMERICAN LITERATURE 



MERICAN LITERATURE. In a 

 sense, American literature is a part of I 



it makes use of the same language, but 



it has prmvn up und.T such different condi- 



tions, among such different surroundings, that 



it possesses a distinct identity. Many of 



> essays, Hawthorne's House of the 



'' , Cooper's Leather Slocking Tabs, 



