THE AUGUST FIELDS. 97 
Almost hiding the old stone walls of the pastures, 
lining the country roadsides, meeting us in the depths 
of the woodland, but delighting especially in the mois- 
ture of the swamps, first in number and almost first in 
size are the golden-rods, with their nodding yellow 
plumes. The technical name of the genus is Solzdago, 
from the Latin words solzdus and ago, [ make whole, in 
allusion to reputed vulnerary qualities. In an afternoon 
ramble in this vicinity we ought to be able to find easily 
nine or ten species, among which might be several well- 
marked ones, the sweet golden-rod (S. odora, Ait.), the 
smooth (S. cesta, L.), and the white (S. dzcolor, L.). 
Born in the prime of the year, the pride of the heart 
of the summer, 
Filling the field and the roadside with beauty too 
often neglected, 
Cheering the heart of the man and the child with 
the wealth of thy color, 
Golden-rod, child of the sun, adorned with thy father’s 
own glory, : 
Dear art thou to the lover of Nature, who knows how 
. to prize thee, 
Common though thou mayest be, but fresh from the 
hand of the Maker. 
Closely associated with the golden-rods are three 
species of Eupatorium. The largest of them is the 
purplish one, sometimes called by its book name, Joe- 
13 
