. 



22 BOTANY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 



time, when the most benefit will be derived 

 from the heat and light. Likely the object is 

 to give the pollen the best chances for ripening. 

 You must have observed the singular opening 

 of the Four O'Clock, about the hour its name 

 denotes every afternoon ? 



L. O, yes, I shall not soon forget taking 

 Maria round the garden to see them, and 

 we could not find any, though I was certain 

 they had been there the day before. It was 

 not until some time afterwards I found that 

 the cause of our not finding them was because 

 we had made too early a visit, and they, like 

 fashionable people, could not be seen so soon. 



E. Grainger, in his poem on the sugar 

 cane, recommends the planters to permit their 

 slaves to retire to their huts on the opening 

 of these flowers as a shelter from the heat. The 

 greater number of flowers have such a regular 

 time for opening and shutting, that Linneus gave 

 a list of a number with the idea that it should an- 

 swer the purpose of a watch, so that by watching 

 the particular time at which a flower opened 

 or shut we could name the exact hour and 

 minute. Mrs. Hemans wrote some lines on 



