In the latter part of May one frequently finds in moist woods, or near the banks of shady streams, the beautiful fringed polygala (Polygala paucifolia) shown in Fig. 1. It is the cheeriest, brightest little flower of its season, and might readily be mistaken for an orchid, or a member of the pea family, though it is of widely different structure from either, belonging, as it does, to the milkworts. This charming little plant is exceedingly beautiful and interesting, and should be oftener cultivated by those who are able to furnish it with a congenial home. The stems are simple, erect, three or four inches long, and grow from long, underground shoots that bear the fertile flowers ; and it is these which, concealed in the soil, produce most of the seed. As will be seen by our illustration, the lower leaves are few and small, while the upper ones are petioled and crowded at the top of the stem. The flowers may be called large when the diminutive size of the plant is considered. They are about an inch long, of a delicate shade of bright rosy-purple, rarely white.

The calyx consists of five sepals. The odd one is superior and the wings are like petals. The stamens, six to eight, are combined into a tube split on the upper side and united below with the claws of the petals. The ovary is two-celled, each cell bearing a single ovule, the entire fruit being heart-shaped. The plant in our illustration is reduced about one-half ; the flower is nearly of the natural size. - E. S. Carman, N.J..