Meadow and Mountain 



The " Spanish Dagger" is an ugly name for a beautiful 

 thing. The prairie does not produce a more beautiful sight 

 than the Yucca in full-bloom. Its long, tough, and dark-green 

 leaves are as pointed as daggers. They grow upward and 

 fall outward from the center, forming a sightly tuft of grace- 

 ful leaves. The Yucca is evergreen, and defies the blizzard 

 of the range. The roots are as tough as hemp ropes and 

 astonishingly long. A first-class soap is made from these 

 roots. On a level stretch of prairie you can see the " Spanish 

 Dagger" for a mile. The long stems about which the blos- 

 soms unfold shoot up from the center of the tuft of dark- 

 green leaves. The outside sheath of the blossom bud is a 

 light-green. Just before these blossoms unfold they have 

 the appearance of green bells, for the inner creamy-white is 

 not yet visible. The bloom-covered stems taper like a 

 steeple toward the top. The center at the base on the inside 

 is a greenish-white. You will see traces of palish-pink as 

 the beautiful flower begins to fade. Then the seed-pods 

 come and hold for months where the blossoms clung. These 

 dark-brown pods make a beautiful contrast in mid-winter 

 above the untarnished whiteness of the surrounding snow. 

 Some little bird of the prairie may find a shelter here from 

 the keen cold. You will trace his tracks in circles around 

 the big tuft of Yucca leaves. Then you will wish for the 

 days of summer, when the beautiful Yucca shall bloom 

 again. 



The "Sweet William" is a child of the prairies, but I 

 have seen him flourishing in the warm woodlands of the 

 Walnut River valley. I have caught his fragrance in the 

 wind as the sunlight sifted through the budding trees. The 



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