WATER AND MILK FROM PLANTS.

PITCHER PLANT.

There are upon the earth great sandy tracts, where there are no springs, or brooks. When the rain falls, which it seldom does in theseplaces, the parched earth drinks it all up, and no pools are formed at which the thirsty traveler can get a drink. And yet men are often obliged to travel over these plains to reach some place where their business calls them. They go in companies, and take with them provisions, and a large supply of water. This last they regard as the most precious of their possessions, and use it as sparingly as possible. But, notwithstanding all their care, it often gives out before they reach the end of their journey. And then, too, they frequently lose their way, and wander about over the hot sand, under a burning sun until they become sick and weak from thirst, and they sometimes die for want of water. This would happen much oftener than it does were it not for a little plant that a kind Providence has caused to grow in these desolate sandy plains.

The picture of this plant, which we show you, was taken from one that grew in a garden, but it was transplanted there from the desert, where it is found in great abundance.

This plant grows two or three feet high, and, at the end of each one of its broad dark green leaves, there is a strong tendril that holds up a cup of the same substance as the leaves. During the night the dew on the plant fills the cup with pure, clear, sweet water, which slowly evaporates during the day. You can easily imagine how glad the thirsty traveler is to find these cups of fresh water, all filled ready for his drinking.

The name of this plant isNepenthes, but we generally call it the Pitcher Plant.

In other parts of the earth there are great marshy forests, where the pools of water are stagnant and impure; and, if people drink from them, they are made sick. A man might wander through these woods for days, and not find a drop of pure, wholesome water, were it not for theSarracenia, or Amphora-plant.

In this the leaves are the cups. They have narrow necks, andflaring tips, from which it is easy to drink the clear water contained in the wonderful leaves. The full grown leaves of the larger species hold a pint of water.

THE SARRACENIA.

We have this same plant, on a much smaller scale, in our own marshes. It grows in damp, shaded places, and I advise you to look for it in your summer rambles, for it is a very singular plant. The leaves of ourSarraceniaare so small they will scarcely hold a gill of water. But we have plenty of cool springs, and limpid brooks in our country, and do not need the large cups of water the Amphora-plant offers to its visitors in South America.

THE WEEPING TREE.

The common name of our Sarracenia is Pitcher-plant; but, as youcan see by comparing the two, it is very unlike the Pitcher-plant of the Eastern deserts.

But then you know pitchers are of a great many different shapes, and sizes, and are only alike in being able to hold water.

But the most wonderful of all the plants that give men water to drink is a tree that is said to have been found some years ago in one of the Canary islands. It was seen at different times by different travelers, and they all told the same story about it. The leaves grew thickly on its spreading branches, and, from each leaf the drops fell so rapidly that all together they formed a steady shower of rain.

It was called the Weeping Tree.

The water fell so copiously that it formed a pond at the foot of the tree, and the people who lived in the neighborhood got from it all the water they used. This is certainly a very wonderful tree if the accounts of it are true.

There is a plant of the Arum family, with broad, heart-shaped leaves that constantly throws from the end of each leaf a drop of water. These drops sometimes follow each other so fast that there is a little jet of water formed in the air above the leaf.

But water is not the only drink that we get from trees. In Central and South America grows the cow-tree, which gives milk! This milk can be obtained during all seasons, but is much more abundant in the spring. If a deep cut is made with a hatchet in the bark of the tree a stream of milk gushes out, and flows freely. It yields the greatest quantity at sunrise, and, at that hour, in the places where this tree grows, men and women come from all directions to the tree nearest their homes to get a supply of this refreshing drink. They bring pitchers with them, and take some of the milk back to their families.

This white fluid is like cow’s milk in appearance, but it is not equally good from all trees. But it is just so with the cows, you know. Some of these animals give rich yellow milk, and some of the milk is blue-white,and thin. Some give a great deal, and others very little. And some cow trees yield richer and yellower milk than others, but it is all sweet and wholesome, and of a pleasant smell. It tastes, in fact, almost exactly like cow’s milk. Like that it is used for making custards, puddings, &c.; and, when boiled, behaves just as ordinary milk does, and will run over the vessel in a minute, if not watched. When allowed to stand for a time cream forms on the top. This is taken off, and made into a sort of cheese, not very different from our cheeses.

THE COW TREE.

This is a very nice kind of cow to have—this vegetable cow—as it requires no feeding, or care, and, when it dies others spring up in its place. It seems a pity that we cannot have these economical cows in our country.

We have plants here that yield a milky juice when the stalks are broken or cut, but you must not be beguiled into drinking any of these milky saps, for they are very disagreeable in taste, being sharp and bitter; and many of them are poisonous.

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