Q48 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[August, 
A Aessoji from tlae WlieaS IFieM. 
Tlie lad in the picture is learning a lesson lie will not 
soon forget. It is worthy to be remembered by every boy 
and girl, and would do no harm to a good many grown 
people. This boy had been walking with his father in the 
village street, where he was much pleased with the looks 
of a finely dressed young man who was strutting about 
with a consequential air, swinging a cane, and carrying 
his head very high, as though he owned half the place, 
and knew more than all the people in it. When the 
boy’s father stopped to talk with an ordinary looking 
man, that was passing thoughtfully along with his head 
down, the little fellow grew quite impatient, and after¬ 
ward said, “ That man don’t look smart, I’d rather be like 
the gentleman we saw a little while ago.” They strolled 
out to the fields, and presently the father stopped near a 
plotol wheat, and requested his son to examine the heads 
on the different stalks. He soon found that those which 
stood upright were empty and worthless, while those filled 
with grain bent down toward the earth. “ There,” said 
the father “ is apicture of the men you met this morning; 
the one who carried his head so high, was a foppish young 
clerk who spends all his earnings for dress ; the other 
was Judge C., one of the most learned and respected men 
in the community.” “ You mean he is headed out well ” 
replied the boy, for he understood life lesson and felt its 
force. “Yes,” replied the father, “the more a man 
knows, the more humble he is likely to be, for the more 
he sees how many things there are yet to learn ; while 
the ignorant are usually conceited, and carrying a high 
head is almost a certain sign there is little in it. AVe 
trust our young readers will strive to be “ well headed 
out,” as the boy expressed it, and that if tempted to show 
off how much they know, they will remember the lesson 
of the wheat-ears. 
Coaxing- Out Whiskers. 
A correspondent of the Agriculturist relates the fol¬ 
lowing : A young man who had recently entered a large 
village store as clerk, was very desirous to appear well 
in the eyes of the ladies. Being very vain, he natuially 
supposed he could best gain their attentions by adding to 
his personal attractions, and accordingly he was in great 
haste to raise a moustache and whiskers, which he 
thought would make him altogether irresistible. One of 
his fellow clerks, a mischievous wag to whom he had 
told his wishes, resolved to have some sport with him. 
Accordingly he informed the beardless youth that a friend 
of his, a physician, could furnish a preparation which 
would bring out the hair in an incredibly short space of 
time. The young man had seen advertisements of such 
compounds, and suspecting no trick, eagerly asked for a 
bottle of the mixture. A few days afterward, his com¬ 
panion brought him a vial, with directions to apply the 
contents carefully wherever he wanted hair to grow, but 
by no means to touch any other place with it, as it was 
very powerful. Upon retiring at night the young man 
gave his upper lip and chin a good dressing with the li¬ 
quid, and turned in to dream of a splendid beard. Of 
course in the morning he at once looked at the glass to 
see the effect produced. But one look was enough, his 
lip and chin were stained black as a negro’s, with a solu¬ 
tion of nitrate of silver. In vain he washed and scrub¬ 
bed ; the color was fixed, and could only wear off. To 
add to his dismay, a loud shout greeted his ears, and he 
saw all his fellow clerks, who had been let into the se¬ 
cret, almost convulsed with laughter. Hastily dressing 
himself, he muffled his face, rushed to his distant home, 
and concealed himfelf until his face resumed its natural 
color^This was a severe and unwarrantable joke, but it 
partially cured the young man of his silly ideas, and on 
the whole w'as a benefit to him. AVhenever he assumed 
any airs, his father had only to ask if his whiskers were 
yet grown, to bring him to his senses. 
Sagacity of a King Bird. 
The writer %vas once walking near a cliff wdiich over¬ 
hung the sea, when a young King Bird ( Tyrannus Intre- 
pidus ) started from the fence near by. The wind was 
blowing hard at the time, and I at once saw that his 
youthful wings were unaccustomed to buffeting the fierce¬ 
ness of the blast. He arose easily as a kite would ascend. 
But when he had attained a few feet, the difficulty was to 
drop again to the earth. Indeed all his efforts only seem¬ 
ed to carry him higher. The wind lifted him up, until he 
was unable to fly against it. For a few moments he stood 
almost still In the air. His greatest exertions only serv¬ 
ing to make him hold his own. Soon his strength failed 
and he gradually fell away as the wind bore him off to¬ 
ward the water. I watched, unable to help him, and 
trembling for his approaching, fall. I knew that, like 
a helpless ship, he would soon be engulphed in the 
ocean. Faster and faster he was floating toward the 
deep. He had almost ceased to struggle, when all at 
once, as though another bird had fallen from l eaven 
there appeared two, one behind him, beating him down 
with her wings. The mother bird had seen her offspring’s 
danger, and coming to his aid, flapped him down with her 
wings, when only a few yards of earth separated him 
from the waters beneath. I breathed freer when I 
saw him safe, and left the mother to rejoice with her 
fledgling, thinking now often was a similar scene enacted 
in our own childhood. A. H. G. 
ISoys’ and Girls’ Garden — No. 5. 
In our last talk with our young friends we attempted 
to give them a general idea of the parts of the flower and 
their uses. As the space was limited, we gave a mere 
outline without going very much into particulars, know¬ 
ing that we should be obliged to go over the ground 
again. It was stated that the Flax flower, which we 
took for our illustration, had two sets of leaves, making 
together what are called floral envelopes, the outside 
one being the calyx, and the inner one the corolla. The 
calyx in the Flax is made up of little green leaves called 
sepals. All the parts of the flower are to be considered 
as leaves adapted to serve a particular purpose. Some 
of the parts look very much unlike leaves; but having 
seen how different 
from the common 
leaves are the co¬ 
tyledons or seed 
leaves, you will 
have no difficulty 
in understanding 
that the leaf may 
differ still more 
widely from its or¬ 
dinary shape to 
serve the purpos¬ 
es of the flower. 
The parts of the 
calyx are so like 
common leaves 
that it is easy to 
see what their 
real nature is. 
Next within the 
Fig. 20. flax. calyx is the co¬ 
rolla, which, in the Flax, consists of five distinct petals. 
These are usually of some other color than green, and 
are of a different shape, and of much more delicate 
texture than ordinary leaves. Still the botanist looks upon 
the petals as leaves in a peculiar condition, and the fact 
that flowers are sometimes 
found with green leaves in 
the place of petals, shows 
that this view is correct. If 
you pull the Flax flower 
apart you will find that the 
petals are all separate and 
distinct, but if you take the 
flower of the Tomato (fig. 
21), you will not be able to 
pull off any separate petals. 
You will see that this flow¬ 
er differs from the Flax in 
having the petals united or grown together part way 
up. When the .flower of the' Tomato is pulled apart, 
the corolla comes off in one piece. We have taken the 
Flax as a starting point from which to illustrate the struc¬ 
ture of the flowers in general. By altering the shape of 
the petals, making them broader or narrower, blunt or 
pointed, a great many shapes would be got from a flower 
Fig. 21.— TOMATO. 
in other respects like the Flax. When the petals are 
united at the edges, as in the Tomato, we get other kinds 
of flowers. This union of the petals may extend only 
part of the way as 
shown in the To¬ 
mato, or they may 
be united for their 
whole length as is 
seen in the Mor¬ 
ning Glory (fig. 22). 
The corolla of the 
Morning Glory is 
all in one piece, 
and looks very dif¬ 
ferent from that of 
1 he Flax. By care¬ 
fully examining 
the corolla of the 
Morning G 1 o r y, 
you will see five 
lines or seams, 
showing that the 
corolla is of five 
parts which are all 
united together by their edges in one piece. Flowers 
which like the Tomato and Morning Glory, have the 
petals more or less united, are called mono-petalous, 
meaning one petaled, or rather that the petals from being 
joined together appear as one, while those which have 
the petals separate like the Flax, are called poly-petalous, 
or many petaled. The flower of the Pea looks very dif¬ 
ferent from that of the Flax, and at first sight there does 
not seem to be much similarity between them ; itisavery 
irregular looking flower, but when we pick it to pieces 
we see that there are five parts to the corolla, but they are 
of such different shape anil size as to give the flower a 
very odd appearance. Fig. 24, represents the flower of the 
Pea. Beginning at the upper side of the flower, there is'a 
very large petal, which is so much bigger than the others 
that it seems to make up the largest part of the flower. 
In flowers which are made after the same pattern as that 
Fig. 23.— FEA BLOSSOM SEPARATED. 
of the Pea, this petal is called the banner. Just below 
this and placed at the right and left are two smaller pet¬ 
als which are called wings , and between the wings is a 
rounded body looking something like the prow of a 
boat, and for this reason is named the keel. If the keel 
is removed and opened it is found to be made of two 
petals joined by their edges, but separated below as they 
are shown in fig. 23. AVe have illustrated four flowers 
widely differing in appearance—the Flax, Tomato, Morn¬ 
ing Glory, and Pea—yet they are all made upon the 
same plan. The parts of the corolla arc in fives, 
(except the Tomato which has from 5 to 10 parts) and 
however they may be disguised by uniting with one anoth¬ 
er, or by bavin: some parts larger, or of differing shapes, 
the general plan is the same. Though we have shown 
the variations in only four flowers, any one who has 
thoroughly studied the structure of these, wilt have 
but little difficulty in making out the nature of all other 
flowers. The parts of the Flax are in fives, which is per¬ 
haps the most common number, but other flowers are in 
fours or threes. AVhen we 
look around among flow- ^ 
ers, we find an infinite va¬ 
riety, antf it would seem 
at first sight that they are 
made upon widely differ¬ 
ent plans, but with the 
Flax flower in view, and 
the variations that have 
been shown, we think yoiy 
will have little difficulty in 
understanding the struct¬ 
ure of all single flowers, 
ones at another time. You have learned where to look 
Fig. 24.— PEA BLOSSOM. 
VVe shall speak of the double 
