WAKE ROBIN FARM 
wetting its feet. Versatile, it survives in less watery 
places. The globular flower, tinted rose, has a start- 
ling likeness to. a turtle’s head (Chelone), and a bald 
(glabrous) one at that. The flowers bloom successive- 
ly, up a dense terminal spike, from July to September, 
in a cluster rather large for the slender, two-foot stalk. 
. The plant increases by root division. A small start 
can be spread in a few seasons over extensive brook- 
side or bog border. Similar in habit to the Monkey 
Flower, a Figwort Family connection. 25c each. 
Vervain, Blue; Simpler’s Joy (Verbena hastata). Kitten- 
ish about wet feet, Vervain is still a plant of bog and 
ditch, seeking hummocks, islands and banks of marsh 
and stream. Perhaps most familiar at roadsides, where 
drainage wets the berm. Height from 3 to 5 feet, © 
with many flower spikes curving like the arms of a 
candelabrum. The flowers are purple or violet, never 
blue, as the name denotes, and they bloom progressive- 
ly up the stems from July to September. Vervain has 
been sacred to Druids, Romans and other peoples, 
ancient and modern, as fetish or talisman, to invoke 
blessing and avert disaster. The English name, “Simp- 
ler’s Joy,” grew out of the ready sale at good price 
of Vervain by venders of medicinal “simples” or 
herbs. Decorative, the plant is easily established, re- 
quires little attention, and grows in full sun or partial 
shade, over a wide range of climate. 25c each. 
Violet, Blue (Viola papilionacea). This is the violet 
everyone knows. It typifies violets of every kind. It 
unites the main qualities of the Violet Family. It has 
unsurpassed beauty. It is found in unlimited quantity. 
It permits unrestricted plucking. It has unrivalled 
scent. It is unknown almost nowhere. It has an in- 
tricate mechanism for cross-pollination in the blos- 
soms, and self-fertilizing buds at the base of the stem. 
It yields perfume; has been cooked and eaten; and has 
‘been recommended as a remedy for skin diseass (e.g., 
eczema). The blossoms are often more abundant 
than the leaves, and are truly violet in color, verging 
into purple hues. Leaves are deep green and heart- 
shaped. Spreads lustily in clumps and masses, 3 to 6 
inches high, in shade or sun, in groves, orchards and 
moist meadows. It grows lushly around dwellings, 
as if responding to the widespread human apprecia- 
tion. Emblem of the Bonapartes, favorite of Moham- 
med, the popularity of the Blue Violet is ancient and 
general. 25c each; $2.50 for 12. 
More than 100 species of violets have been 
identified on earth; about 75 in North America, 
‘and. 30 or so in the United States. We have found 
6 on this Farm, all herein described. 
Violet, Downy Yellow (Viola pubescens). The under- 
side of the leaf is the downy feature to which. both 
English and Latin names refer. The plant is rather 
tall and spare, from 6 to 12 inches high. The flowers 
are light golden yellow, and bloom singly on thin 
~ stems from the forks of paired leaf stalks. They bloom 
in April and May. This violet is found. in rich woods, 
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