also when dried and made into hay. Its culture is chiefly confined to chalky districts in England, where the soil is not fit to be constantly under tillage, and which yields but a small portion of undergrass. The Saintfoin thrives in such localities from being furnished with long descending roots, which penetrate and thrive in the fissures of rocky and chalky understrata.

Sir Humphry Davy analyzed this plant, and stated that of one thousand parts, thirty-nine were of nutritive matter, a proportion equal to that contained in red and white clover.

Saintfoin (Hedysarum Onobrychis) is in the Linnæan class Diadelphia, and order Decandria; and in the large Natural order Leguminosa.

SECOND SERIES.

N

THE YELLOW GOAT'S BEARD.

Tragopogon; L. Sersifi; Fr. Der bocksbart; Ger. Boksbaard; Dutch. Barba di becco; Ital. Barba cabruna; Sp. Barba de bode; Port. Kozlowa boroda; Russ.

"Broad o'er its imbricated cup,

The Goat's-beard spreads its golden rays,
But shuts its cautious petals up,

Retreating from the noontide blaze."

SMITH.

IN the month of June, as you pass along the borders of fields, you may observe in the hedgerows an upright leafy stem, sometimes simple, sometimes branched, about eighteen or twenty-four inches high, adorned with somewhat large yellow terminal flowers. This, however, must be said with some reserve, for unless your walk be some time before the sun has attained the meridian, you will not see the flower expanded. "Jack go to bed at noon," as the Goat's Beard is named, will have retired to rest. The heat of the sun has made him drowsy. You may, nevertheless, know the plant from its flowers being closed; also from the leaves, which are ovate at the base. The florets of the ray of the flower are strap-shaped, about half an inch in length, and toothed at the apex. The fruit, when ripe and expanded, forms a large and handsome feathery ball. The seeds are linear, curved, striated, and rough, having elevated tubercles, of a light brown colour, tapering into a slender awn as long as itself, and crowned by its elegant ring of long slender branches of feathery pappus.

By observing the different hours at which certain

flowers open and close, Linnæus constructed a floral horologe, by which those particular times of the day could be determined by any one acquainted with the phenomena. The Yellow Goat's Beard is one of the flowers; and for the amusement of the reader we add the names of other flowers which grow wild, which may be observed for the same purpose. Our fair friends may find much interest in taking note of their times of opening and closing, and thus at length construct a floral horologe for themselves. The flowers areWild Succory, Smooth Sow Thistle, Small Bindweed, Dandelion, White Water Lily, Garden Lettuce, African Marygold, Common Pimpernel, Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Proliferous Pink, Field Marygold, Purple Sandwort, Small Purslane, Creeping Mallow, and Chickweed.

We have only to remark, in connection with the observation of these flowers, that those who would see them unfold their petals, must rise very early in the morning; and if the desire to note the time is sufficient to rouse the readers from slumber, and allure them into the open air at dawn of day, great indeed will be the benefit.

The Yellow Goat's Beard (Tragopogon pratensis) is in the Linnæan class Syngenesia, and order Equalis; and in the Natural order Compositæ. There is one species of this genus called Salsafy (T. porrifolius), which has a long tapering fleshy white root, which is sometimes used like parsnips or carrots, and for that purpose is cultivated in gardens. The flavour is mild and sweetish.

THE SCOTTISH THISTLE.

Onopordum; L. Le chardon commun; Fr. Die zellblume; Ger. Witte wegdistel; Dutch. Onopordo; Ital., Sp., and Port. Tatarnik; Russ. Oset poyloczny; Pol.

Thistles, armed against the invader's head,
Stood in close ranks all entrance to oppose;
Thistles, now held more precious than the rose."

CHURCHILL.

THISTLES are not favourites of the farmer, nor of the reaper, but amongst them there are fine specimens of nature's productions. Many of them are beautiful, whether we look at the plant as a whole, or whether we examine the form and character of separate parts, the stem or the leaf, or whether we confine our attention to the flower. Some of the flowers are certainly much to be admired; and then the species are so numerous, and they contrast and harmonize so agreeably, that we must confess we should not like to see Thistles wholly eradicated from the land, though we should prefer that they were greatly diminished in numbers in many places. Now we are of opinion that the farmer does not always go the right way to work to reduce the number of these noxious weeds. As soon as Thistles appear to be gaining ground, he sends his labourers into the field to hoe them up, and then appears to think that all is done which is needful. We think he would do more wisely if, during summer, as he walks through his fields he were to decapitate every Thistle he meets with before it bloomed, and instruct his servants to do the same; he would thus prevent the dispersion of