f)f autumn. If \vc hacked it tlown at prcsctit \vc should 

 liave no asparagus to speak of next season. 



Now, e\erybod)' has noticed that the )-oun^' slioots 

 whicli form tlie eatable part of asparaj^us are covcreil hy 

 small pointed purjjlish scales ; and these scales an-, in 

 fact, almost the onl>' true leaves that the plant ever puts 

 forth in its present condition. Hut as it j^rows older it 

 begins to branch off into numerous spra\s to ri^ht and 

 left; and these si)ra\s are covereil with clusters of 

 feathery j;reen spikes, closely resemblin;^ foliai^e, and 

 not at all unlike the needles of firs and some other 

 conifers. In realit)*, however, these ai)i)arent leaves arc 

 abortive flower-stalks ; while the onl)' true leaves on 

 the branches are some very small and almost micro- 

 scopical scales around the point where the needles 

 diverge from the stem that bears them. It is true the 

 little \\ir\- branches do all the work that real leaves 

 ou^dit to do: they are (|uite i^reen, and the)' act as 

 di^Ljestcrs of carbon from the air for the plant ; so that it 

 seems at first si^ht a hard sa\'ing to be told that they 

 arc at bottom only flower-stalks. Vet .so certain is that 

 curious fact, that even loni,' before evolution was dreamt 

 of, all technical botanists had full)' made uj) their minds 

 that the apparent leaves of asi)araj;us and its allies must 

 be theoretically described as ' aloortivc pedicels.' And 

 this is probabl)' the way that such a strange freak of 

 nature first came about. 



Asparagus is a simple sjiccies of lily which has 

 taken (in its wild state) to growing in very drs' and 

 sandy soils. Now, the lil)- t)pe of leaf, as we all know, 

 is a long thin succulent blade, extremely ill-adapted for 

 dry or sandy places. Hence all the lilies which arc 



