The Moon-daisy. 73 



able and well-known chemist, whose collection, both of 

 indigenous and exotic plants, in his garden at Cheadle, 

 has done so much good service to the cause of botany, 

 is devoting himself to the task. 



The stream above-mentioned curves, after a little 

 while, to the right, and the path changes to the opposite 

 side. It is at this point that the extent of the wood is 

 developed, and that we turn to go homewards. If time 

 permit, it is well to continue awhile along the middle 

 path in front, and visit first the Upper Carrs, which, as 

 seen from the terrace that runs all the way from Cheadle 

 to Baguley, are remarkably beautiful. The wood, as here 

 disclosed, is full of invitation, and where the branches 

 stand asunder, we see great prairies, the green grass 

 all a-glow with red sorrel blossom, and dotted with 

 islands of radiant white, where that giant of field flowers, 

 the great moon-daisy, shows its pride. This noble 

 ornament of our meadow-land, called on the other side 

 of the Tweed the "horse-gowan," is one of the class of 

 flowers called "compound," being made up of some 

 hundreds of "florets" or miniature flowers, enclosed in 

 a kind of basket. An average specimen has been 

 found to contain five hundred and sixty, and a fine 

 one no fewer than eight hundred. The florets are 

 disposed in exquisite curving lines, exactly resembling 

 the back of an engine-turned watch. What has the 

 ingenuity of man ever devised that has not its proto- 

 type somewhere in nature ? The chalice holding this 

 remarkable flower is of the most elegant construction, 



