"That's the flower that does not bloom 

 for a hundred years," cried Bird. "I 

 always thought I would not have such a 

 shy bloomer, but, Madge, wouldn't it be 

 nice to get one for the sake of having 

 thread and needles in the garden, all 

 ready for making dolls' dresses?" 



*'But, my dear, you are mistaken," 

 continued Aunt Jane, "about the Century 

 Plant blooming once in a hundred years. 

 Don't you remember that your Uncle 

 Casamir said, when he was in Algeria, 

 he saw Aloes of all sizes and ages in full 

 bloom ?" 



"See here!" cried John; "by Aunt 

 Jane's showing, flowers eat, flowers give 

 light, flowers make a noise; I want to 

 know what other wonders they per- 

 form?" 



"They dance and travel," Aunt Jane 

 replied. "They predict the weather, and 

 tell the time of day; they nod and sleep, 

 and climb, and act as a compass, and 

 some are so bad they steal their liv- 

 ing." 



"Do tell us what flower is so gay and 

 lively as to dance ?" 



"The 'Dancing Orchid.' To be sure, 

 he is a genuine little acrobat, and is said 

 to perform the most amusing feats of agil- 

 ity. His antics have given him a world- 

 wide reputation. Animated oats make 

 curious movements when laid upon the 

 ground. The leaflets of some kinds of 

 oxalis sink down vertically at night, per- 

 haps to sleep, and other flowers^ as the 

 Sensitive Plant, and the 'Ox-hoof of 

 Brazil, open and shut their leaves. The 

 'Ox-hoof is a very good time-piece, as 

 at daybreak the leaves are spread out 

 horizontally, but gradually double up as 

 the sun advances, then as the sun de- 

 scends the leaves gradually open, and at 

 sunset are again spread out level." 



"I know which flower tells the time of 

 day. Here is a bed full of them, and 

 they are all saying 'Four o'clock' now," 

 cried Birdie. 



"Which flower is a barometer?" John 

 inquired. 



"The clover is the farmer's barometer. 

 It is thought to close its leaflets if rain 

 is coming. The pimpernel also foretells 

 a storm. The lotus lolls on the water till 

 a storm approaches, when it hides in 

 safety beneath the waves." 



"Tell us about the Traveler. What 

 flower goes journeying, and what are his 

 adventures?" Howard asked. 



"The 'Rose of Jericho' has its branches 

 folded up in a bell, but, it is said, moist- 

 ure causes them to spread out. The wind 

 gives it a gentle lift, and frees it from 

 the loose sand, and away it goes on and 

 on to a great distance. Some species of 

 Algae come up out of the sea, and dry 

 off upon the beach, when the wind car- 

 ries them over the land, and the children 

 hunt for them under the name of 'meteor 

 paper,' for they now look like coarse, 

 brown paper. The Dandelion is, you 

 know, a great traveler. He is a sort of 

 balloonist, and navigates the air with his 

 little white ship." 



"I had a speech about him at school 

 one day," cried Madge. "The best verse 

 in it was this : 



" 'A perfect sphere of daintiest white, 

 As soft as air, as still as night, 

 Leaving the earthly damps of ours 

 To seek, perhaps, the heaven of flowers.' " 



"I know very well," said Howard, 

 "that the compass plant points north and 

 south, but I'd like to know the reason it 

 does so?" 



"In reply to your query, I can only 

 tell you what I have read upon the sub- 

 ject, as I have never tried to investigate 

 it myself. It seems that the secret of the 

 compass plant lies in the fact that the 

 number of stomata is equal on both sides 

 of the leaf, equally exposed to the morn- 

 ing and afternoon sun, assumes a posi- 

 tion of equilibrium between the two 

 forces, by turning one side toward the 

 morning, the other side to the evening 

 sun, thus throwing the breadth in a north 

 and south direction.' " 



"I think," said John, "that the com- 

 pass plant is quite friendly to a fellow ; 

 for once w^hen I had been out fishing I 

 got lost, and went round and round in 

 a circle^ till I noticed a compass plant, 

 and it gave me a hint which way to go." 



"Aunt Jane, don't you think you have 

 been a little severe on the carnivorous 

 flowers?" said Edith. "Is it any worse 

 for them to eat insects than it is for us 

 to kill chickens? Now, I know that 

 some plants are said to sleep, and I've 

 seen them nod, and of course many of 

 them can climb; mv Cobea scandens has 



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