STUDIES OF PLANT LIFE 
distances and establishing themselves wherever they chance 
to alight. Many an unnamed flower exists, no doubt, in 
Secluded spots where as yet the foot of man has never 
trod. Those primitive wilds where even the hardy lum- 
berman’s axe has never been heard, those rugged hills 
known only to the eagle and the falcon, those deep cedar 
Swamps that afford shelter to the wolf, the bear and the 
wildcat, conceal many a graceful shrub and rare plant that 
one day may be gazed on with admiring eyes by the for- 
tunate naturalist, whose reward may possibly be to have his 
name conferred upon the newly-discovered floral treasure. 
A large number of plants of the Composite Order are 
remarkable for the bitter milky juice contained in the leaves, 
stalks and roots, the properties of which are narcotic and 
sedative. This bitter milky juice pervades all parts of the 
Dandelion or Taraxacum; also the Wild Endive and other 
members of the Lettuce tribe. 
The Dandelion is so well known that it is unnecessary to 
enter into any description of its floral parts. The root of 
the Dandelion has been utilized as a substitute for coffee; 
in preparing it the root should be washed thoroughly, but 
the thin brown skin not scraped off, as much of the tonic 
virtue is contained in this brown covering of the root. This 
must be cut up into small pieces and dried by degrees in the 
oven until it becomes dry and crisp enough to grind in the 
coffee-mill; it is then used in the same way as the coffee- 
berry, with the addition of milk and sugar. A small portion 
of fresh coffee would, I think, be an improvement to the 
beverage, but it is not usually added. Many persons have 
used this preparation of the Dandelion and greatly approved 
of it. It is a good tonic and very wholesome. The herb 
itself, if the leaves be blanched, makes a good salad, equal 
to the garden Endive. 
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