NATIVE WILD FLOWERS 
On dry rocky hills we find the Box-leaved Wintergreen 
or Bearberry (Arctostaphylos Uva-wrsi—Spreng.), which 
clothes the dry rocky and gravelly hills all through the 
continent of North America, is found far to the north, 
even in barren Labrador, and on the rocky slopes of the 
far-off Hudson’s Bay. It abounds far north in Norway, 
and clothes the ground with its spreading branches. As 
winter approaches the dark green leaves assume a purplish- 
bronze hue, which is enlivened by the bright red berries. 
These pretty evergreens might be adopted as a substitute 
for the holly by such as care to keep up the old custom of 
dressing the house with green boughs at Christmas-tide 
in honor of the birthday of the Saviour. Might not the 
primitive Christians have intended by these emblems to 
keep faith, hope and charity ever green within the church 
and homestead. 
A deeper meaning often lies in the old usages of our 
forefathers than we are willing to acknowledge in this 
our day of cotton-spinning and gold-digging, railroads and 
electric telegraphs. 
RATTLESNAKE Root—Nabalus albus (Hook.). 
This tall stately-growing plant belongs to the same 
natural order as the Lettuce, and, like it, abounds in a 
bitter milky juice which pervades the thick spindle-shaped 
root, the leaves and stem, even to the pedicels of the grace- 
ful nodding pendent flowers. 
The plant, applied both externally and internally, has 
long had the reputation of being an antidote for the bite of 
the Rattlesnake. 
The slender ligulate corollas which surround the cin- 
namon-colored pappus are beautifully striped with purple 
and creamy white; the pointed tips are turned backwards 
II9Q 
