Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/543

 SAGE SAG HAKBOE 519 The scarlet sage, S. tplendens, from Brazil, is a common and much esteemed garden plant, usually called by its botanical name, salvia ; it is a smooth and much-branching species, with dark green ovate leaves, and long spikes of flowers of the most brilliant scarlet; the calyx is of the same color with the corolla, and each flower is subtended by a conspicuous floral leaf or bract, also scarlet ; as these bracts re- main after the flowers have fallen, much of the effectiveness of the plant is due to them. It is a tender perennial, but will flower the first year from the seed ; it is often treated as an annual, but it is most frequently raised by cut- tings from plants kept in a greenhouse for the purpose. A sport from this has pure white flowers, and there are several garden forms, one more dwarf than the type. 8. fulgem, from Mexico, and S. coccinea, from Central America, are scarlet-flowered species, some- times cultivated. The blue sage, S. patens, from Mexico, has flowers of the most charming blue, but the plant has a coarse weedy habit. The silver-leaved sage, S. argentea, from the Mediterranean, with very large ovate or round- ish, radical leaves, covered with white woolly hairs, is sometimes cultivated for its foliage only ; the flowers are white, and not showy. Some of the native species suitable for the gar- den are S. azurea of the southern states, 2 to 4 ft. high, with fine blue flowers; S. Pitcheri, growing from Kansas to Texas, covered with a soft down ; and S. farinosa, of Texas, white- hoary, with light blue flowers. SAGE, Antoine Rene le. See LE SAGE. SAGE BUSH. SEE ARTEMISIA. SAGH ALIEN, or Saghalin, an island of Eussia, formerly jointly claimed and occupied by Eus- sia and Japan, off the E. coast of Asia, be- tween lat. 45 56' and 54 25' N., and inter- sected by the meridians 142 and 143 E. ; length about 600 m., breadth from about 20 to 80 m. ; area, 24,560 sq. m. ; pop. about 16,- 000, including Eussians, Japanese, Chinese, Ai- nos and other natives, and some persons of European and American extraction. The en- tire coast does not present a single safe har- bor, and the largest bays are so shallow that ships can rarely go nearer than 1 m. to the shore. The strait of Mamio Einzo, between Cape Muravieff in the Littoral province of Si- beria and the island, is not more than 5 m. wide, and is frozen over three or four months in the year, affording connection by dog teams over the ice with the continent. The strait of La Perouse separates Saghalien from the Jap- anese island of Yezo. Through the entire length of the island, almost on meridian 143, is a range of mountains more than 2,000 ft. high, and in the S. part are peaks of 4,000 ft. Below lat. 52 there is a parallel range on the E. side. None of the mountains are volcanic. As yet the exploration is but partial, and the exact topography of the island is unknown. There are rich deposits of coal along the entire shore on the W. side. The two principal riv- ers, Baronai and Tymi, rise near each other in lat. 50 40', the first flowing S., the second N., neither more than 106 or 112 m. long, and both navigable for boats. There are four lakes of from 15 to 37 sq. m., all united with the sea by small and deep channels, and numerous lesser lakes in the northwest. The climate is cold, damp, and foggy, with abundant rain in sum- mer ; and snow falls for days together in win- ter and lies on the mountains till the middle of May. The mean temperature is 62 F. in July, and 14 in January. The soil varies in quality, and is little cultivated, the inhabitants subsist- ing chiefly upon fish and game, while corn is imported from Eussia and rice from Japan. There are a few plains and natural meadows. Besides coal and petroleum, the natural riches of the island are the woods, furs, and fisheries. The woods covering the mountains consist of Norway spruce, fir, Siberian silver fir, pines, and deciduous trees from the birch to the elm. The hunting grounds furnish sable, fox, deer, and bear skins. Seals, sea lions, and whales abound in the neighboring seas. Fish are plentiful in the estuaries and rivers, particu- larly salmon, and in autumn swans, geese, ducks, and other wild fowl. Large quantities of dried and salted salmon and herring are sent to Japan. Most of the furs go to Eussia, some to Japan, and a few to the United States. The chief trading posts are at Aniva bay on the S. end of the island, and the trade is car- ried on mainly by barter. About 1780 the Japanese began to settle the shores in the S. part, while the Eussians were invading the N. part. In 1804 the two nations unsuccessfully attempted to fix upon a boundary of occupa- tion. In 1852 some Americans tried to found a post to open trade with the continent, and Eussia immediately took formal possession of the island, sending men from Siberia to build forts and establish posts, and in 1853 they opened some of the coal mines. In 1854 Eussia renewed negotiations as to boundary with Japan, and the island was declared " still unpartitioned," Japan claiming all below lat. 50, while the Eussians had actually colonized considerably S. of that parallel. A joint occu- pation was agreed upon, and in 1875 the Japa- nese portion of the island was formally ceded to Eussia. In 1873 Eussia made its colony a penal settlement and sent convicts to work the coal mines. SAG HAKBOK, a village and port of entry in the towns of East Hampton and Southampton, Suffolk co., New York, on the S. side of Gardi- ner's bay, near the E. extremity of Long Island, and at the terminus of a branch of the Long Island railroad, by which it is 107 m. E. of New York; pop. in 1870, 1,723; in 1875, 2,100. It has a good harbor, and is largely engaged in the coasting trade, being the only outlet of a good farming district. The whale fishery, once ex- tensive, is now extinct. Sag Harbor is much resorted to in summer. Two lines of steam- ers run to New York and one to the Connecti-