Show Odd Uses for Plants Trees in Distant Lands A cousin of the familiar pea pea- flower called is used in inthe inthe inthe the West Indies and Polynesia for fora a very form of an an- gling The crushed leaves and stems are thrown into the river where the fish are quickly stupefied stupefied fied fled and easily caught Another West Indian the hog gum tree is so called because wounded hogs rub the injured parts against the tree to smear themselves with the abundant resin it exudes which heals their wounds This resin is isso isso isso so powerful that the natives make torches of ot the branches Another light-giving light plant is the candleberry tree a native of Polynesia related to our common spurge notes a writer writ writ- er in London Tit-Bits Tit magazine The kernels of the walnut-like walnut fruit are areso areso areso so rich in oil that they are stuck on reeds and used as candles Certain of at the Fiji islanders never use forks except when they eat their neighbors They make these forks of Casuarina a tree that looks like a huge specimen a of our common horse tail Each fork bears a name and is handed down as an heirloom from generation to generation The tree cow-tree a native of South America corresponding to the familiar familiar familiar fa fa- fa- fa fruit bread yields a milk practically indistinguishable from ordinary cows cow's milk in chemical composition and nourishing qualities qualities qualities ties from which excellent cream and cheese are arc made Linnaeus the famous Eighteenth- Eighteenth century Swedish botanist made a sort of at floral clock The dial consisted consisted consisted con con- of names of flowers arranged in the order of their opening and closing hour hou by hour The dandelion dandelion dandelion dande dande- lion for example opens about 5 a a. a m. m and closes about 9 p. p m. m Greater accuracy is obtained from froma a Japanese form of magnolia The watchmen use the powdered bark for tor burning in graduated tubes to mark the time by the regular combustion combustion com com- bustion of at the powder Perhaps the limit of ot queer uses I of ot plants is reached in the case of at plumbago related to thrift and sea- sea pink The root fresh-root is a powerful blistering agent and the beggars of San Domingo use it to raise ulcers ulcers ulcers ul ul- ul- ul cers on their bodies in the hope of ot exciting the sympathy of of the passers |