1873.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
:;si 
The Salt-Marsh Centaury. 
All along the coast from Massachusetts south- 
ward, wherever the marshes arc neat enough to 
hililies are that it would not succeed at a dis- 
tance from brackish water. The name Centaury 
is used as a common one i"i' several of the 
Gentian Family and to oilier plants, and is an 
the membrane is of the same density. A ripo 
tomato or plum may he considered in the con- 
dition of the bladder of syrup. The rich juices 
of the fruit correspond to the syrup, and the 
.,cf 
salt-marsh CENTAUHr.— (Sabbatia stcllaris.) 
greek valerian.— (IWontmium replant.) 
salt water to be brackish, there is fouud the 
Salt-Marsh Centaury. In August and Septem- 
ber it is in flower, and often in such abundance 
as to attract the notice of those who are not es- 
pecially interested iu flowers. Hence we often 
get specimens from sportsmen and fishermen 
for a name. Whether seen in a mass or exam- 
ined singly the plant is a most beautiful one. 
It belongs to the Gentian Family, and is botan- 
ica\\j Sabbatia stellarcs. The genus Sabbatia, 
dedicated to an Italian botanist, is a showy one, 
and there are some eight species in the North- 
ern Slates. As the botanist only is interested 
in the minute characters wbioli Beparate these 
plants from the Gentians, we will give but one. 
In the Sabbatias the corolla is flat or wheel- 
shaped, while in the Gentians it is tubular or 
funnel-shaped. We give an engraving of the 
Salt-Marsh Centaury. The stem is about a foot 
high, much branched, and often marked with 
prominent lines which extend downwards from 
the bases of the leaves. The flowers are upon 
the extremity of the long and slender bran 
five-parted, and of a deep bright rose - 
At the throat of the corolla there is ay 
star, which is surrounded by a very deep red 
border. It is from this very conspicuou 
iu the center of the flower that the plan: 
its specific name, stellaris. This, like other 
species of Sabbatia, is biennial. We have heart! 
of no attempts to cultivate it, and the proba- 
old Latiu name that has passed into common 
use and is frequently pronounced as century. 
The Cracking of Fruit by Eain. 
Almost every one has noticed that juicy 
fruits such as plums, peaches, grapes, tomatoes, 
etc., will be cracked by a rain. The phenome- 
non has been of painfully frequent occurrence 
the past season, and the losses to some growers 
have on this account been heavy. The crack- 
ing has been explained in various ways, but we 
think it is properly attributed by Boussingault 
to osmose. If a bladder filled with syrup be 
immersed in a vessel of water, the water will 
after a -while become sweet; the syrup passes 
through the membrane of the bladder into the 
, and correspondingly the water passes 
into the interior of the bladder. But this in- 
laugc is not an equal one; the lighter 
liquid, the water, passes iu many times more 
rapidly than the heavier liquid, the syrup, 
passes out. The consequence will be that the 
bladder will be distended to its utmost, and at 
length burst. This is a general law, that where 
liquids of unequal densities are separated 
by a i ■ Whether animal or vegel 
they will interchange, the weaker liquid pit 
more rapidly than the denser one, and this will 
be kept up until the liquid upon both sides of 
thin membrane which forms the skin of the 
fruit represents the bladder. When the ripe 
fruit is kept constantly wet with water by a 
rain, osmose takes place, and the water passing 
through into the fruit distends the skin, which, 
not being very strong, is soon ruptured. If the 
fruit were to be surrounded by a liquid denser 
than its juices, it would, instead of expanding 
and breaking, shrink, and the skin become 
shriveled. When strawberries or currants are 
sprinkled with sugar, a syrup is soon formed 
by some of the juice of the fruit, and this being 
considerably denser than the juices of the ber- 
ries they are soon flabby and shriveled. 
The Greek Valerian. 
There are some common name- that arc puz- 
Why one of our native plants should be 
called " Greek Valerian" is past finding out, as 
American there is nothing Greek about 
it, nor is there anything except the fact, that it 
has divided leaves to remind one of t he Valerian. 
The plant in question is a native of the- woods 
at the South and West, and has long been iu 
our gardens, where it well deserves a place as 
one of the most cheery of early spring flowers. 
Being a perfectly hardy perennial, it takes care 
of itself, and asks no other aid than that the 
clumps when they get too large shall be divided. 
