ACCORDING TO SEASON 



they are perhaps less radiant than those of England 

 " in primrose-time. M And although our summer 

 landscape glows with deep-hued lilies and milk- 

 weeds, and glitters with black-eyed Susans, yet in 

 actual brilliancy it must yield the palm to an Eng- 

 A chai- Hsh field of scarlet poppies. But when September 

 lines the road-sides of New England with the pur- 

 ple of the aster, and flings its mantle of golden-rod 

 over her hills, and fills her hollows with the pink 

 drifts of the Joe-Pye-weed or with the intense red- 

 purple of the iron-weed, and guards her brooks 

 with tall ranks of yellow sunflowers, then I think 

 that any moor or meadow of Great Britain might 

 be set in her midst and yet fail to pale her 

 glory. 



Of the hundred or so classified species of golden- 

 rod, about eighty belong to the United States. Of 

 Many these some forty can be found in our Northeast- 

 goiden-rod ern States. The scientific name of the genus, 

 Solidago, signifying "to make whole," refers to 

 the faith which formerly prevailed in its healing 

 powers. It belongs to the composite family, 

 which now predominates so generally. Its small 

 heads are composed of both ray and disk flowers, 

 which are of the same golden hue, except in one 

 species. These flower-heads are usually clustered 

 in one-sided racemes, which spring from the upper 

 part of a leafy stem. 



154 



