Some Humbugs of Science 123 



withered, but its pistil remains as an erect 

 white thread, an inch long, slightly winged 

 at the tip, its seed lightly embedded in the 

 white cushion. These pistils, which stand 

 out in all directions, so that they form a 

 fluffy ball, now act as parachutes and carry 

 the seed wherever the wind blows them. 

 During the first year the plant is said to 

 bear no flowers. It is hard to raise in 

 captivity, demands room and air, but is not 

 particular as to soil. As many as thirty 

 heads of flowers grow on a single plant. 

 It blooms all the year if snow is absent, 

 but chiefly from April to July, and again 

 from September to November. Seed-time 

 begins in May and is generally over in Oc- 

 tober, but I have seen what appeared to be 

 a dandelion-seed flying across a city park 

 on the 2 1st of March. Its young leaves 

 are eaten raw with oil and vinegar as a 

 salad, usually with lettuce, and the young 

 plants make excellent "greens," in spite 

 of a slight bitterness, if boiled and served 

 with mustard and vinegar. The dried 

 roots are roasted and ground as an adul- 

 terant for coffee, and during the war, when 



