A YOUNG NATURALIST. 333 



in fact, generally throughout America, it is used instead of 

 barley or oats for feeding horses and cattle. 



As soon as Tonibio entered his own plantation, he bent 

 down a few twigs of the masorcas without dividing them 

 from the stem. 



" Why do you bend those poor plants like that ? Won't 

 they die ?" cried Lucien. 



" Yes ; in the first place, because they are annuals, and 

 our guide only hastened their death a few days ; besides, 

 the ears he cut are ripe, and will dry hanging to the stems 

 which have nourished them. This method is as simple as 

 it is expeditious, but could only be put into practice in coun- 

 tries where winter is nothing but a spring." 



Behind the maize-field there was a hedge covered with 

 long filaments of a golden-yellow color. These filaments, 

 which were entirely devoid of leaves, grew all over the 

 shrubs almost like a thick cloak. 



"What is the name of this wonderful plant?" asked 

 Lucien. 



" It is the sacattascale" answered Torribio. 



" It is a sort of dodder," added Sumichrast, " a plant of 

 the Convolvulus family. The European species is destroy- 

 ed, because it twines round certain vegetables and chokes 

 them. Here, however, the sacatlascale is allowed to grow, 

 because some use has been found for it." 



" What could be made of these stalks, which are so deli- 

 cate that they break if I merely touch them?" 



" They are first bruised, and then dried in the sun," re- 

 plied Torribio. " When they want to dye a black or yellow 

 hue, all they have to do is to boil the paste in iron, or mix 

 it with alum." 



While we were climbing the banks of the ravine, Lucien 

 availed himself of such a good opportunity by smearing his 

 hands all over with this bright yellow substance. When 



