1873 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
381 
The Salt-Marsh Centaury. 
All along the coast from Massachusetts south¬ 
ward, wherever the marshes are near enough to 
bilities are that it would not succeed at a dis¬ 
tance from brackish water. The name Centaury 
is used as a common one for several of the 
Gentian Family and to other plants, and is an 
the membrane is of the same density. A ripe 
tomato or plum may be considered in tjie con¬ 
dition of the bladder of syrup. The rich juices 
of the fruit correspond to the syrup, and the 
SALT-MAKSH CENTAURY 
.—(Sabbatia sicilans.) 
GREEK valerian .—(' Polemonium replans.) 
salt water to be brackish, there is found 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 in 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- 
jcally Sabbatia stellaris. The genus Sabbatia, 
dedicated to an Italian botanist, is a showy one, 
and there are some eight species in the North¬ 
ern States. As the botanist only is interested 
■in the minute characters which separate 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 branches, 
five-parted, and of a deep bright rose color. 
At the throat of the corolla there is a yellow 
: star, which is surrounded by a very deep red 
border. It is from this very conspicuous stat¬ 
in the center of the flower that the plant gets 
[its specific name, stellaris. This, like other 
species of Sabbatia, is biennial. We have heard 
, of no attempts to cultivate it, and the proba- 
old Latin name that has passed into common 
use and is frequently pronounced as century. 
The Cracking- of Fruit by Rain. 
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 
water, and correspondingly the water passes 
into the interior of the bladder. But this in¬ 
terchange is not an equal one; the lighter 
liquid, the water, passes in 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 
two liquids of unequal densities are separated 
by a membrane, whether animal or vegetable, 
they will interchange, the weaker liquid passing 
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 h}- 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 names that are puz¬ 
zling. Why one of our native plants should be 
called “ Greek Valerian” is past finding out, as 
being American there is nothing Greek about 
it, nor is there anything except the fact that it 
has divided leaves to remind one of the Valerian. 
The plant in question is a native of the woods 
at the South and West, and has long been in 
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. 
