1374] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
21 
Indian Tobacco— Lobelia. 
There are in tins country more than a dozen 
species of Lobelia. Some of them, like the 
Cardinal-flower, are conspicuous, while others 
upon this point are needed. The name Lobelia 
was given to the genus in honor of a Flemish 
herbalist, De l'Obel. Some of the quack doc- 
tors, thinking it means fow-belia, give to . the 
tall-growing Cardinal-flower {Lobelia eardin- 
to the Gulf, there are found five other species, 
some of them generally distributed and others 
quite local. All these species have in common 
with the northern one tubular leaves, but they 
vary much in size and form. The leaf consists 
Indian TOBACCO.— {Lobelia inflata.) 
alts) the distinguishing name of high-belia. It is 
drummond's pitcher plant. — (Sarracenia Drummondii.) 
are not at all showy. Several of the exotic 
species are among the valued plants of our 
gardens and greenhouses. The one here fig- 
ured, Lobelia inflaia, or Indian Tobacco, is on 
account of its active properties perhaps more 
common than any of the others, and is generally 
known as Lobelia. It is a much branched 
plant, common in fields, and has such small 
blue flowers that it is not likely to attract much 
notice. "When the seeds begin to ripen the pod 
swells so that it and its inclosing calyx have a 
bladdery or blown-up appearance, which gave 
rise to the specific name inflata. This species 
possesses powerful medicinal properties, it be- 
ing in large doses actively emetic and narcotic. 
It is used by physicians, and has long been one 
of the unsafe agents in the hands of quacks. 
Its activity is such that it should only be em- 
ployed when prescribed by a physician. It is 
of interest to the farmer as being one of the 
several plants to which the "slavering" of 
horses is attributed. Being quite common in 
pastures, especially in autumn, it is readily ac- 
cessible to horses; but. we have no positive 
proof that they ever eat it, and observations 
one of the easily determined plants, on account 
of the inflated character of its seed vessels, and 
one can easily recognize it from our engraving. 
It is an annual or biennial, growing from a foot 
to eighteen inches high, and found in late sum- 
mer throughout most of the United States. 
■•-« i w m m *-* 
Southern Pitcher-Plants. 
In the Northern States wc have one species 
of Pitcher-plant which extends into Canada 
and Newfoundland and west to Minnesota. It 
was the first species described, and in honor of 
a French Canadian physician, Sarrazin, was 
named Sarr<ieenitt,with the specific name pur- 
purea. This species is a well-known inhabitant 
of bogs and swampy places, and is sure to at- 
tract attention by its cluster of nearly prostrate 
tubular leaves and its curiously shaped flowers. 
It was figured in this paper in May, 1866. Be- 
sides the common name of Pitcher-plant, it is 
in different localities called Side-saddle Flower, 
Iluntsman's-cup, and Whip-poor-Will's Shoe. 
In the Southern Atlantic States, from Vircinia 
of a long narrow funnel, the " pitcher," closed 
below and open above. Along one side of the 
funnel runs a longitudinal projection or wing, 
and at the orifice, upon the side opposite to the 
wing, is an appendage which is sometimes 
called the lid of the pitcher, but it is more cor- 
rectly a hood. This is an usual form for a leaf 
to assume, and in comparing it with ordinary 
leaves the botanist considers these pitchers to 
represent a leaf with an enormously broad 
leaf-stalk, which is folded together with the 
edges united to form the funnel or tube, and 
the wing before mentioned represents, so to 
speak, the scam. The blade, which in most 
leaves forms the largest portion, is here very 
small, and represented by the appendage or 
hood at the top of the pitcher. The pitchers, 
at least the older ones, are usually partly full 
of water, in which are drowned multitudes of 
dead insects. In most species, if not in all, the 
water is not a secretion of the plant, but is col- 
lected from rains ; but of what service is this 
or the dead insects to the plant is not quite 
satisfactorily made out. It is but reasonable 
to suppose that the plants have need of the in- 
