1880.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST.. 
153 
SQUARE WORD. 
1. A noted confederate in the 3. A large violin. 
lute war. 4. A lazy man. 
2. To stay. 5. Dries. 
Little Folks. 
CONCEALED INSECTS. 
1. She had long, natural curls. 
2. But wore a high comb, ugly frizzes and puffs. 
3. I want to start early to the lecture. 
4. Bring rubber shoes and an umbrella. 
5. 1 think of lying down till you return. 
PI. 
Het laroy barrily fo Pisar sintocan wot limnoli mulsove 
dan cebjots io veery notipridesc. Het gruelra naunla 
Ceaserin si wytent dousnath. Rylane flial a limnoli sokbo 
ear cheufr thisroy, noly wettyn hntsodan shilgen tosyhir; 
golytohe inesburn owt dundher tonshand ; dan ni encices 
dan eholohippy heret ear entiny nadushot semulvo. 
Pretind camtisetsy castagoule ear shuufired. 
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN THE FEBRUARY NUMBER. 
Half Square. 
APRIL 
PLAN 
EAT 
I N 
L 
N UMERIOA L ENIGMA— B IBLI- 
cal proverbs—F or wisdom 
is better than rubies; and all 
the things that may be desired 
are not to be compared to it. 
Charade.—A nthem. 
Numerical Enigma.— In the voyage of life, Content is the 
safest pilot. 
WHEN BRED ABBE 
PIERO RODE BOAR 
ERST EDEN BARS 
NOTE DENT ERST 
ABBT COAT DROP 
BEAR OGRE ROPE 
BASE AREA OPEN 
TREE TEAR PENS 
A New Fwzzle. 
Whoever visited New York in February last must have 
met at every street corner men and boys doing a thriving 
business in selling a new game or toy known as: The 
“Sliding Number Puzzle.” This game, which is for a 
single person, and therefore a solitaire , consists, as the 
engraving shows, of a box into which 16 small square 
blocks of wood fit quite closely. Upon the upper face of 
each block is a number, and these run from one to six¬ 
teen. When the puzzle is to be worked, one of the 
blocks is removed (the one having “16” upon it), and 
the others are placed face down upon the table, and 
mixed as in the stirring or “shuffling” of dominoes. 
The blocks being well mixed, are then placed in the box 
just as they are picked up, beginning at the upper left- 
hand corner, and filling to the right. When all the 15 
blocks are in, there is a single space vacant, and this al¬ 
lows of a sliding of the blocks—one at a time, and of 
course through only one space. The trick, or puzzle, is 
to so move the blocks that they will be finally brought 
into the regular order of the numbers upon them—that 
is, block “1 ” is in the upper left-hand comer, “2” next 
at its right, and so on until “ 15” is reached at the end. 
So far as the explanation of the puzzle is concerned it is 
very simple, but to get the blocks into the regular order 
is quite another thing. Some persons, after having spent 
several hours, and even days, have been unable to get 
them right, while others have succeeded in doing it after 
a few minutes. Of the latter, it may be said it was all 
guess work, and the next time they try, it may take 
them a much longer time. The possible arrangement of 
blocks as they are placed hap-hazard in the box, are so 
numerous, that it is safe to say that they can never be 
twice alike; therefore the movements are different m ev¬ 
ery succeeding “game.” It is interesting to see how 
much “taken” people have been with this puzzle, bank 
ers and business men have stood m groups at the en¬ 
trances of their places of business, and exercised their 
calculating powers over some hard move, or laughed to 
^ -MJ-iIBEK PUZZLE. 
Bee some one else move and move again, and not make 
the least particle of progress. The puzzle took with the 
boys at once, who freely invested their dimes and half 
dimes—the puzzles being of various sizes, shapes, and 
prices, to suit the demands of the trade. In our first 
trial of the puzzle we failed, but in a second attempt, 
about half an hour of “ shoving around ” brought ail the 
blocks to their proper places. The boys and girls of the 
American Agriculturist family will be interested in this 
puzzle, we think, and as we understand it is not patent¬ 
ed, any boy can make one for his own and other’s amuse¬ 
ment; the engraving will show how it is made. 
A lied of mixed Plants. 
Misery is said to make strange bed fellows, but misery 
has nothing to do with bringing these plants together in 
the same bed, though they may be “ strange,” as some 
of the plants have probably never met each other before. 
In this respect there is 
a newness about our 
bed that may give it 
interest. There are 
no paths—no regular 
ways to go on our 
round of inspection— 
and therefore we are 
at liberty to “ go as we 
please.” As the plan 
of planting is not of 
the formal style, our 
ramble may also be ir¬ 
regular, and if the first 
plant that gains our at¬ 
tention is not in one of 
the four corners, it will 
make no difference. 
No. 1. There is a 
little low plant that 
often covers the moist 
ground along the edges 
of woods, with its pale- 
green mottled leaves 
dotted with purple, 
and suggesting the 
tongue of some repti le, 
and one of the common 
names of the plant. 
From between the 
leaves the slender 
stalk runs np, and 
bears on its end a yel¬ 
low lily-like flower, 
and of such size and 
weight as to cause it 
to hang its head as if 
in modesty. It gener¬ 
ally figures largely in 
the bouquets which 
children bring in from 
the woods in early 
spring. We have never 
seen a dog try his teeth 
on this plant, the color 
of which is far from 
violet.—No. 2. This 
thus reach the nectar. This is one of the most showy of 
wild spring flowers, and is fond of growing on some 
be found—provided some busy bee has not made his early 
visit and extracted it. Bees are getting very wise, asiel 
some of them, instead of taking the trouble to crawl head 
first into the tube, just punch a hole near the bottom, and 
A COLLECTION OP STRANGE LOOKING PLANTS. 
is the representative of a genus, or little group of kinds 
of plants, ten of which are found in the Eastern U. S., 
some flowering as early as April, while others prefer the 
hot month of Jnly for showing the regular pretty flowers 
which are sometimes quite showy because borne in large 
clusters. A tall kind is very generally found in old 
flower gardens growing in clusters, the stalks small and 
straight, ending in a large oval cluster of showy purple 
flowers. A low kind flowers early, and covers the 
ground with a mat of mossy pink, also common in culti¬ 
vation.—No. 3 is a shrub that grows in large clumps in 
low places, the young shoots being highly prized for 
whips by boys, and in spring used for making whistles. 
The flowers are very small, but hang in long soft bunches, 
which, from their shape and feeling, might remind one 
of the bushy tail of a squirrel or a cat. The color is yel¬ 
low, as also is the bark of the twigs, and the bees and 
other insects are very fond of the flowers, from which 
they gather much sweet. The plant would be a little out 
of place in a well kept flower garden.—No. 4. While we 
are in the low, moist ground, let us notice another and 
a very different plant, far more attractive from the 
strange form and coloring of its cluster of flowers than 
the flavor of its large turnip-like stem below ground. 
Those who have tasted of this plant seldom like to repeat 
the experiment. The leaves are usually two in number, 
and like those of the ordinary clover, composed of three 
parts, bnt very much larger. The hood-like richly colored 
covering to the fleshy flower cluster is very peculiar, and 
from the arrangement of floral parts the common name is 
derived.—No. 5 is a particular favorite in spring window 
gardening: growing from a bull), and often put in tall 
and neat glass jars. When in bloom the large flower 
cluster makes up the principal part of the plant, the in¬ 
dividual flowers may be of almost any shades of color, 
waxy in texture, and extremely fragrant.—No. 6. When 
children get together in the pasture or along the road¬ 
side they are quite sure to pick the bright yellow flowers 
of number 6 and place them under the chins of theircom- 
panions to determine the fondness which the one ex¬ 
amined has for a certain article of food. The juice of the 
plant is not agreeable to the taste.—No. 7, the botan¬ 
ists say, is a near relative of the last, though the leaves 
are of a different shape, and the flowers entirely different 
in outline, much more showy, each possessing five long 
tubes, in the bottom of which a little drop of honey is to 
rocky cliff just out of reach of those passing below, ft; 
is not of a nature to bind itself very closely to a column., 
—No. 8. A very delicate plant is often found in 'the 
woods in early spring, with slender branches and peculiar 
heart-shaped, scattered flowers. There are two broad! 
spurs to each flower, and as they hang and dangle <s® 
tbeir slender supports, they may remind one of a garmesjtj. 
hung np as a sign in front of a clothing house in Holland 
—No. 9. Again we return to the plants of the lily tribe,, 
and this time to one which frequents rich ground, gg 
along low river banks, where it grows to some five feei 
in hight. The flowers are small, but make up for the5? 
size in number. The stem grows from a creeping os# 
beneath the soil, and as the stem above ground dies gj 
the end of the year it leaves a scar, so that by digging 
the stock the age of the plant in years can be determined 
by counting the scars. The mark or scar resembles th# 
impression made by a stamp. Just why the comm® 
name of this plant should be associated with that of $ 
very wise man of old is more than we can tell.—No. 30. 
Here is a pretty little plant, and one that is so small that; 
we should overlook it were it not for the delicacy ansS 
beauty of its very early flowers, coming out so soon ag 
the snows have cleared away from the margins of thg 
woods. Small as it is, it is the welcome friend of every 
seeker of early gems.—No. 11 is one of the earliest of 
garden plants to send up its flower to cheer us, and is so 
near a relative of the Daffodil that we are not sure bni 
they are almost twin sisters.—No. 12. This is not a hand/, 
some plant; it grows in damp places, and is quite com¬ 
mon. The flowers are rather large, varying in coloj? 
from white to purple. The mouth of each blossom is 
nearly closed, and from this, and the size and shape of 
the flower, it resembles quite strongly the head of sorng 
animal.—No. 13 takes its common name from the long, 
slender, yellow, bitter, fibrous roots which this plant has 
in great abundance. The leaves are evergreen and shiny. 
It is a bog plant, with small white flowers, which are not 
expected out until May.—No. 14. A standard garde® 
plant, with pretty flowers of a characteristic shade, and 
the name of the plant is the accepted name for the shade oi 
color which the flowers often possess.—No. 15 is not 
all attractive, and we put it here as a sort of contrast t® 
the showy plants which are in the bed around it. Th® 
common name is derived from the shape of the young 
pod, which in outline resembles that of the he*d-drees! 
