﻿XX 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  September, 
  1907 
  

  

  The 
  Varnish 
  that 
  lasts 
  longest 
  

  

  Made 
  by 
  Murphy 
  Varnish 
  Company. 
  

  

  Relating 
  to 
  Architecture, 
  

   Decoration, 
  Ceramics, 
  Rugs, 
  

   Furniture, 
  etc., 
  will 
  be 
  rec- 
  

   ommended 
  and 
  aupplied 
  Ly 
  

   our 
  -well-equipped 
  

   Book 
  Department 
  

  

  Munn 
  <Sb 
  Co. 
  

  

  361 
  Broadway, 
  New 
  York 
  

  

  GUNTERS 
  

  

  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  SEPTEMBER 
  

  

  15 
  CENTS 
  

  

  For 
  this 
  reason 
  do 
  many 
  flowers 
  seek 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   tect 
  their 
  pollen 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  sensitive 
  the 
  

   plant 
  to 
  slight 
  atmospheric 
  changes 
  the 
  more 
  

   successfully 
  does 
  it 
  guard 
  its 
  treasure. 
  Now- 
  

   let 
  us 
  consider 
  the 
  barometer 
  plants 
  that 
  do 
  

   not 
  actually 
  close 
  their 
  petals 
  in 
  bad 
  weather, 
  

   but 
  droop 
  their 
  heads 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  cup 
  becomes 
  a 
  

   hanging 
  bell, 
  presenting 
  only 
  its 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  

   rainfall. 
  

  

  The 
  little 
  wild 
  geranium 
  stands 
  up 
  pink 
  

   and 
  bold 
  on 
  bright 
  days, 
  but 
  droops 
  percepti- 
  

   bly 
  in 
  damp 
  weather, 
  until 
  at 
  length 
  its 
  face 
  

   is 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  pretty 
  mauve 
  heads 
  of 
  

   the 
  sheep-bit 
  or 
  scabious 
  act 
  in 
  just 
  the 
  same 
  

   way, 
  as 
  also 
  does 
  the 
  Claytonia 
  — 
  a 
  cheerful 
  

   enough 
  creature 
  in 
  fair 
  weather 
  but 
  very 
  de- 
  

   jected 
  and 
  insignificant 
  on 
  a 
  showery 
  day. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  often 
  watched 
  a 
  patch 
  of 
  Alpine 
  po- 
  

   tentilla 
  that 
  grew 
  in 
  a 
  rock 
  garden. 
  On 
  a 
  

   brilliant 
  spring 
  morning 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  blaze 
  of 
  

   gold, 
  and 
  the 
  tender 
  green 
  foliage 
  was 
  thickly 
  

   studded 
  with 
  exquisite 
  little 
  yellow 
  blossoms. 
  

   But 
  on 
  a 
  dull 
  wet 
  day 
  the 
  short 
  stems 
  turned 
  

   quite 
  over 
  and 
  lay 
  almost 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  

   their 
  original 
  positions, 
  while 
  the 
  yellow 
  cups 
  

   were 
  turned 
  entirely 
  upside 
  down. 
  

  

  Other 
  plants 
  that 
  prefer 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  for 
  their 
  pollen, 
  and 
  therefore 
  pose 
  as 
  

   weather 
  prophets, 
  are 
  the 
  cinquefoil, 
  potato, 
  

   wood-sorrel, 
  campanula, 
  duckweed 
  and 
  wil- 
  

   low-herb. 
  The 
  last-named 
  is 
  especially 
  wily. 
  

   On 
  a 
  bad 
  day 
  you 
  will 
  see 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  flowers 
  

   bent 
  over, 
  while 
  a 
  few 
  remain 
  erect. 
  Here, 
  

   you 
  will 
  say, 
  the 
  barometer 
  role 
  is 
  uncertain 
  

   and 
  left 
  to 
  chance. 
  But 
  investigate 
  more 
  

   closely 
  and 
  you 
  will 
  see 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  the 
  older 
  

   flowers 
  that 
  do 
  not 
  bend. 
  All 
  the 
  younger 
  

   ones 
  have 
  done 
  so, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  further 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  of 
  each 
  flower's 
  life 
  story 
  explains 
  the 
  

   point. 
  

  

  The 
  life 
  of 
  each 
  is 
  but 
  three 
  days. 
  On 
  the 
  

   first 
  two 
  the 
  stamens 
  are 
  ripe, 
  and 
  scattering 
  

   their 
  pollen 
  on 
  all 
  insect 
  visitors. 
  The 
  third 
  

   day, 
  however, 
  the 
  function 
  of 
  the 
  stamens 
  is 
  

   ended, 
  but 
  the 
  carpels 
  containing 
  the 
  seeds 
  

   are 
  now 
  ready 
  for 
  inoculation 
  by 
  pollen 
  for 
  

   the 
  first 
  time. 
  Here 
  is 
  a 
  clever 
  scheme 
  to 
  en- 
  

   sure 
  cross 
  fertilization 
  ; 
  but 
  its 
  interest 
  for 
  us 
  

   is 
  that 
  the 
  flowers 
  do 
  not 
  droop 
  over 
  on 
  the 
  

   third 
  day, 
  because 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  any 
  need 
  

   to 
  protect 
  the 
  pollen. 
  

  

  But, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  asked, 
  if 
  plants 
  and 
  flowers 
  

   think 
  rain 
  injurious 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  how 
  is 
  it 
  

   there 
  are 
  notable 
  exceptions 
  ? 
  The 
  fact 
  is 
  that 
  

   most 
  do 
  make 
  provision 
  for 
  their 
  flowers 
  

   against 
  the 
  rain, 
  but 
  such 
  provision 
  can 
  be 
  

   made 
  in 
  many 
  ways. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  real 
  need 
  

   for 
  plant 
  or 
  flower 
  to 
  turn 
  into 
  a 
  "barometer" 
  

   to 
  effect 
  this. 
  Thus 
  in 
  such 
  plants 
  as 
  the 
  

   monkshood, 
  violet, 
  yellow 
  rattle, 
  snapdragon, 
  

   sweet-pea 
  and 
  others, 
  their 
  curiously 
  shaped 
  

   petals 
  provide 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  permanent 
  roof 
  over 
  

   the 
  stamens. 
  In 
  the 
  globe 
  flower 
  the 
  yellow 
  

   sepals 
  never 
  open 
  out 
  entirely, 
  but 
  always 
  close 
  

   the 
  stamens 
  in. 
  And 
  in 
  the 
  arums 
  the 
  green 
  

   sheathing 
  spathe 
  is 
  a 
  permanent 
  protection. 
  

  

  Again, 
  many 
  plants 
  that 
  bear 
  their 
  buds 
  in 
  

   an 
  upright 
  posture 
  to 
  begin 
  with, 
  invert 
  them 
  

   into 
  a 
  drooping 
  attitude 
  directly 
  they 
  begin 
  to 
  

   open, 
  and 
  remain 
  thus 
  until 
  after 
  the 
  pollen 
  

   has 
  matured. 
  Then 
  the 
  stalks 
  straighten 
  

   themselves 
  again, 
  and 
  the 
  fruit 
  is 
  borne 
  up- 
  

   right. 
  This 
  happens 
  with 
  the 
  fritillaries, 
  the 
  

   water 
  avens 
  and 
  brugmansias, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   deadly 
  night-shade, 
  lily 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  many 
  

   others. 
  

  

  Moreover, 
  some 
  plants 
  have 
  little 
  lids 
  on 
  

   their 
  anthers 
  or 
  pollen-boxes. 
  Thus 
  the 
  laurels 
  

   and 
  bastard 
  toad-flax 
  are 
  so 
  provided, 
  and 
  

   these 
  lids 
  close 
  in 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  damp, 
  

   and 
  only 
  open 
  when 
  the 
  sun 
  is 
  out 
  and 
  the 
  air 
  

   quite 
  dry. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  bastard 
  toad- 
  

   flax, 
  these 
  wonderfully 
  ingenious 
  "lids" 
  are 
  

   so 
  sensitive 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  shut 
  up 
  within 
  

   thirty 
  seconds 
  of 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  moisture! 
  

  

  