66 
THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
that starts the windmills, sets adrift in ]\Iay the long haired seeds 
of the tremulo'us aspen. On they float, till piloted by chance, they 
reach the fire-blackened wastes where even the buried seeds and 
mits have perished in the heat. Here they drop their worn silken 
wings and root, and along with them the seed of the great fire- 
w^eed, borne hither by the wind in its silvery curls. A host of oth- 
er wood things, great and small, follow these pioneers. The 
white birches gather gratefully on these wide moors, fire-swept of 
rivals, and as the years pass, the green wave of vegetation again 
sweeps ovier the mountain sides. 
Sans Soiici, S. Cor. 
GATHERING NUTS. 
By Prof. Wm. Whitman Bailey. 
To the New Englander there is probably no pleasanter recol- 
lection than that of gathering nuts in boyhood. The very thought 
of those early days attunes the mind to peace and quiet. How 
well we recall how we used to harness up the old horse, take out 
all but one seat of the wagon, pack up a hearty luncheon, and set 
forth for the woods. 
These nutting days are also gentian days—suffused with a gold- 
en mist; days when the leaves simply drop by their own weight. 
We observed whole showers of them, yesterday, fluttering 
through the air like butterflies. One does not need to consult the 
calender to know when nuts are ripe. An instinct, a something in 
the air tells him. 
Although the horse-chestnut is not one of the edible kinds, it 
desen^es mention for its intrinsic beauty. It is always a delight 
to see the great green, prickly pods burst open to reveal their 
mahogany treasures. Where is the joiner or cabinet-maker who 
can attain or even faintly imitate these beautifully polished and 
daintily veined globes?. After a half century of experience it 
still remains a myster}^ to the writer to know what the small boy 
does with the immense quantities he amasses. Vainly have we 
sought information of the youth himself. He stammers and be- 
comes confused when interrogated. The fact remains that no 
horse chestnut tree is safe from boyish assault and battery. 
Of the edible nuts, we suppose that, for a variety of excel- 
