﻿January, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  31 
  

  

  By 
  S. 
  Leonard 
  Bastin 
  

  

  OMPETITION 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  world 
  is 
  so 
  

   keen 
  that 
  those 
  individuals 
  which 
  can 
  not 
  at 
  

   least 
  come 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  standard 
  must 
  

   soon 
  be 
  outstripped 
  by 
  others 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  

   struggle. 
  As 
  a 
  consequence 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  ut- 
  

   most 
  importance 
  that 
  species 
  which 
  find 
  

   themselves 
  at 
  a 
  disadvantage 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  should 
  summon 
  all 
  

   their 
  resources 
  together 
  to 
  strengthen 
  their 
  position. 
  To 
  

   this 
  end 
  we 
  may 
  attribute 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  remarkable 
  develop- 
  

   ments 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  animal 
  and 
  vegetable 
  kingdoms. 
  

  

  Among 
  plants 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  examples 
  of 
  

   this 
  particular 
  form 
  of 
  evolution 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  species 
  which 
  have 
  adopted 
  unusual 
  methods 
  for 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   vertisement 
  of 
  their 
  flowers. 
  As 
  every 
  one 
  knows 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  species 
  are 
  wholly 
  or 
  partially 
  dependent 
  upon 
  the 
  visits 
  of 
  

   insects 
  for 
  the 
  fertilization 
  of 
  their 
  blooms. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  

   make 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  flowers 
  known, 
  these 
  plants 
  have 
  re- 
  

   sorted 
  to 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  surrounding 
  the 
  essential 
  organs 
  

   with 
  gaily 
  colored 
  corollas. 
  For 
  some 
  reason 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   very 
  easy 
  to 
  understand, 
  a 
  large 
  group 
  of 
  plants 
  representing 
  

  

  widely 
  diverse 
  genera 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  produce 
  attractive 
  

   blossoms; 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  that 
  these 
  flowers 
  should 
  be 
  

   cross-fertilized 
  by 
  insect 
  visitation. 
  Nothing 
  daunted, 
  these 
  

   enterprising 
  species 
  make 
  up 
  their 
  deficiencies 
  to 
  such 
  good 
  

   purpose 
  that 
  quite 
  often 
  they 
  end 
  in 
  outstripping 
  their 
  more 
  

   fortunate 
  rivals. 
  

  

  An 
  excellent 
  instance 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  which 
  has 
  resorted 
  to 
  

   rather 
  unusual 
  methods 
  of 
  drawing 
  attention 
  to 
  its 
  flowers 
  

   is 
  Poinsettia 
  pulcherrima. 
  This 
  plant, 
  not 
  unfrequently 
  

   cultivated 
  under 
  glass 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  decorative 
  qualities, 
  

   is 
  a 
  native 
  of 
  Brazil, 
  and 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Euphorbiae 
  

   family 
  whose 
  representatives 
  range 
  almost 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  world. 
  

   The 
  Poinsettia 
  with 
  its 
  small 
  cluster 
  of 
  greenish 
  flowers 
  

   would 
  be 
  scarcely 
  noticeable 
  among 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  greenery 
  

   surrounding 
  the 
  plant 
  in 
  its 
  tropical 
  home; 
  but 
  the 
  species 
  

   is 
  well 
  able 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  affairs, 
  for 
  it 
  has 
  converted 
  

   the 
  terminal 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  blooming 
  shoot 
  into 
  brightly 
  col- 
  

   ored 
  bracts, 
  so 
  that 
  each 
  group 
  of 
  flowers 
  is 
  surrounded 
  by 
  

   rays 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  vivid 
  crimson 
  imaginable. 
  An 
  interesting 
  

   side 
  light 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  bracts 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

  

  Salvia 
  Horminum 
  Rubmm. 
  Southern 
  Europe 
  

  

  A 
  Flower 
  which 
  Advertises 
  Itself 
  By 
  Its 
  

  

  VariegatecTFoliage 
  

  

  Bougainvillea 
  Glabra 
  

  

  Pieris 
  Japonica. 
  The 
  Terminal 
  Shoots 
  of 
  this 
  Plant 
  

   Are 
  Bright 
  Scarlet 
  when 
  the 
  Flowering 
  

   Season 
  Is 
  On 
  

  

  