Music of the Wild 



JNIuch has been written about field flowers, and 



many jjoets and natin-e-lo\'ers have celebrated their 



The favorites. I sing for dandelions. If we had to 



Lion's iniport them and they cost us five dollars a plant, 



Tooth T, p IT " , . T-. 



all oi us ^\-ould grow them in j^ots. Because they 

 are the most universal flower of field and wood, 

 few jjeople pause to see how loA'ely they are. In 

 the first place, the jjlant is altogether useful. The 

 root is a fine blood-purifier. To a less extent the 

 lea^-es partake of the same property, and they are 

 beautifid; long and slender, reminding some sci- 

 entist of the ragged teeth of a lion — "dent de leon" 

 — dandelion. They are of dark green color when 

 full-grown, pale yello\\'-green at half growth, and 

 if at all sheltered, almost wliite ■\\'hen young. 

 Properly cooked, there is nothing better to eat. 

 The bloom is a flat, round, thickly-petaled head of 

 gold, dusted with pollen that the bees gather, and 

 it gives a delicious tang to honey. 



After a few days of bloom the flowers draw 

 into tightly-closed heads, and stand maturing the 

 seed. At the same time the stems rapidly lengthen, 

 to lift the heads high ^\here the wind can have free 

 play upon them. Then at a touch, always when 

 we are not looking, tlie heads open into perfect 

 balls of misty wliite. Tliese stand like crystal 

 globes for a short time, ripening, and then the 

 \\\\u\ liar\'ests the seed and sows it broadcast, so 

 that the dandelion is the most vmiversal flower that 



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