THE EXPLOSIVE CLUB-MOSSES 147 



its tiny vial among the regular list of homoeopathic 

 remedies. Outside of the drug-store, however, few of us 

 have ever seen it ; rather, I should say, few of us have 

 ever seen it to recognize it, even though we may have 

 breathed it into our lungs in the woods, or brushed it 

 from our clothing in clouds, under the impression that 

 the dusty soil was alone responsible for our soiled gar- 

 ments. 



" What do you use it for?" I recently asked an apoth- 

 ecary. 



" We keep it to put in pill -boxes with the pills," was 

 his reply; "that is all we use it for. Powdered lico- 

 rice is also used for the same purpose, but the lycopo- 

 dium is preferable." 



But there is much of interest to be found in this yel- 

 low powder which is not generally known. Nor need 

 we visit the druggist's to get our sample for experiment. 

 What, then, is this drug, lycopodium ? Our botany will 

 enlighten us : " Lycopodium, a cryptogamous plant, com- 

 monly known as 'club -moss,' a low evergreen some- 

 what resembling a moss, its stems clothed with short 

 pointed scaly leaves, the fruiting stems discharging their 

 subtle spores in the form of a copious sulphur -colored 

 inflammable powder." 



So, in substance, says Dr. Gray, and though the com- 

 bustible nature of this yellow cloud is published to the 

 world in nearly all our botanies, it is a singular fact that 

 comparatively few of those who know the plant in all its 

 many varieties, who perhaps have named it with its 

 Latin tag, and who have pressed it and mounted it in 

 their herbarium, have known its singular explosive prop- 

 erties and the fiery tricks it is capable of performing. 

 Country people everywhere, even though innocent of 



