SEPTEMBER AND NOVEMBER. 235 



for a variety of tlie latter flower. But my drawing 

 shows that it is a very different character ; the flow- 

 ers are formed remotely like bachelors' buttons, and 

 have a tubular character, with the involucre (flower 

 envelope) covered with sliort bristles of a rusty-brown 

 color. The plant was named for Mr. Vernon, an 

 early English botanist. It blooms in August and 

 September. V. altissima is a tall variety with large 

 flowers which grows west and south of Pennsylvania. 

 Bitter-sweet. Bitter-sweet is a beautiful, climbing, 

 Cdastrus scandens. twining shrub with which every one 

 ought to be familiar who travels over the country 

 road in early fall when the scarlet berries are re- 

 vealed inside of the open orange-colored pods with 

 charming effect amid the autumnal foliage. These 

 pretty berries conjure up thoughts of Dr. Holland's 

 poem entitled Bitter-sweet, and, may I be permitted 

 to add, sweet cider. Although the climbing shrub 

 with its beautiful berry clusters is a familiar sight 

 beside the cider mills of New Jersey, it has no 

 connection, direct or implied, with that famous bev- 

 erage known as " Jersey lightning " which, about the 

 time that the berries appear, is being distilled from 

 the juice of the ubiquitous and innocent apple ; so we 

 must hope that the cider mentioned in the poem did 

 not have the remarkable strength attributed to this 

 New Jersey product. 



