VERBECK', Gumo FRIDOUN 1830-98). A Duteh-American missionary to Japan. He was born in Zeist, Holland, was educated there in the Moravian Seminary, at the Poly technic, and after going to New York, in 1S52, at Auburn Theological Seminary, where he grad uated in 1859, although his early training had been for a technical career. In the same year he went as a missionary of the (Dutch) Re formed Church in America to Nagasaki. Japan, whence he was transferred in 1868 to Tokio_ There from 1869 to 1873 he was superintendent of teachers and instruction in the foreign de partment of the Imperial University, having entered the employ of the governmental educa tional service in 1863. He returned to mission ary work in 1879, was prominent in the trans lation of the Bible into Japanese, taught (1891 118) in the Meiji Gakuin, and was a very sue ces,:ful and tactful missionary. He made many important translations, mostly legal, in behalf of the .Japanese Government, and wrote a History of Protestant ilissio»s in .Japan ( ) sult Griffis. Verbeek of .lapin (New York, 19001. VERBENA, VERVAIN (Lat., foliage, herb age, sacred bough, plant used as a cooling rein edy). A genus of about SO species of annual or perennial herbs or shrubs of the order Ver benaceze. mostly natives of tropical and sub tropical America. A number of native species
are distributed through the United States, grow ing as needs in waste or cultivated ground. The flowers. borne in terminal spikes, may be seen during nearly the whole summer. The culti vated varieties have creeping or spreading stems and dense spikes of large and showy flowers. They vary greatly when grown from seed and represent a wide range of color. The European verbena ( Ferhena ollieinalis) is a native of Eu rope, hut has become naturalized in North America. It is an annual with small purplish blossoms in slender panieled spikes. Verbena teuerioides, a species cultivated in gardens for its. large pinkish white flowers, sweet-seented night, is a native of Brazil. Verbena renosa, also from Brazil, produces lilac flowers from June to October, and is frequently grown in beds or groups with other plants. Verbenas flourish in light garden soil, especially when fertilized with well-rotted manure. They are commonly propagated by seeds. The hard seeds of some species are steeped hi warm water for an hour or two before sowing to eause a more rapid ger mination. The sterns pegged down to the soil prodnee shoots from the axils of the leaves.