In those places, instead of a potato field you have a sorrel field. We often eat the leaves of the wood sorrel for the sake of their pleasant acid taste. The proper name of the sorrel is “oxalis,” and comes from a Greek word meaning “acid.” But if we were to extract this acid from the sorrel and then eat it, we would have a serious time, for in its concentrated form it is a fearful poison. It is sold under the misleading name of “salt of lemons,” and for this reason people often ignorantly taste it, thinking that “salt of lemons” can do them no harm. This dangerous “salt of lemons” is very useful in calico printing, in dyeing, and in the bleaching of flax and straw. The next time you come across a patch of sheep sorrel, stop and think of all it and its relatives are able to do for us. We usually think of the Geranium Family as being merely ornamental; but, as we have seen, some kinds of tropæolum, several kinds of sorrel, and at least one kind of pelargonium yield edible tubers which are eaten in different parts of the world, and the modest little oxalis yields a substance valuable for manufacturing purposes. Even our commonplace crane’s bill that blooms so abundantly in the woods in early summer has something for us, for from its roots a medicine is obtained. [Illustration: [Pelargonium]] [Illustration: Hyacinth Stories] Hyacinth Stories THE HYACINTH. [Illustration: [Hyacinth]] Out in the garden there’s something so dear! Just as dear, Do you hear? Something that comes in the spring of the year Fragrant as roses and fresh as the dew, Purple and pink and violet too. Something new, Darling too. Guess what it is and I’ll show it to you! [Illustration: [Hyacinth]] SIGNS OF SPRING. Out of doors are signs of spring. The buds on the trees look full, and some are beginning to burst. But there is very little life as yet. [Illustration: [Hyacinth]] Only in the hyacinth bed it is different, for there the hyacinths have waked up; their stiff leaves have opened the door of the earth for the blossoms to come out. The flower clusters are nearly ready to bloom, but the buds are still green. The tall stem has lifted them up into the air and sunlight, and, although the air is still cold, they continue to grow. Soon the green buds undergo a change. The topmost one on each flower cluster softens to a tender blue or pink. The green buds grow lovely as they stand on their stems in the sun. Delicate tints steal over them, the green color fades away, and many colors take its place. They open into charming flowers and give forth a delightful fragrance. The whole garden is sweet with the odor of hyacinths, and we feel that the beautiful summer has sent us a messenger. [Illustration: [Hyacinth]] THE HYACINTH’S SCEPTRE. [Illustration: [Sceptre]]