THE PLANT WORLD 5 



Probably the country districts surrounding cities suffer most from the 

 destruction of wild plants. It is here that flower dealers obtain the 

 great quantities of dogv^'ood, gentian, may flowers and laurel sold each 

 year, for railroad lines bring city and country into such close contact that 

 shipments may be readily made. Then, too, numbers of city children 

 belonging to the poorer classes are taken out upon excursions by 

 charitable societies during the summer months. It is a well-known fact, 

 that from the mere desire to destroy, these children often tear to pieces 

 many a plant and bush, not being satisfied with a generous supply of 

 wild flowers to take back home. School children also, with just enough 

 natural science to teach them to recognize a variety of flowers and not 

 enough to teach them care in picking and gathering, do much harm. 

 Aside from these there is a large class of people who in gathering 

 bunches of flowers and leaves pull the plants out of the ground, roots 

 and all, or carelessly tear and break the stems. Probably they do not 

 know that their action may lead to serious results. In fact, it is to 

 ignorance that much of the destruction can be traced. 



On the other hand, even members of botanizing expeditions and 

 collectors of herbariums are often to blame for aiding in the extinction of 

 some rare species. Well acquainted with the results, they deliberately 

 gather all the flowers from one plant, whole plants, or in some cases 

 where a form is verj- scarce, as many specimens as they can find in one 

 place. Our fringed gentian, as well as some ferns, is liable to such 

 treatment. 



Under ordinarj^ circumstances, plants reproduce in sufficient numbers 

 to provide for all demands upon them. Animals and birds feed upon 

 their leaves and fruit. Insects and unfavorable weather destroy 

 them in large numbers. Yet Nature more than meets the emergency. 

 But when such terrible inroads are made on our shrubs, bushes and 

 wild flowers as have been recounted, nothing less than complete exter- 

 mination can be expected. Reproduction is prevented, not only by the 

 removal of the plants themselves, but by injuring them so that their 

 growth is retarded. By breaking off the branches of the rhododendron, 

 for instance, which bear in a cluster of leaves the flower buds for the 

 following year, growth is practically stopped. Or, as in the case of 

 collectors, mentioned above, reproduction may be seriously affected by 

 gathering all the specimens of a flower to be found in one place. If the 

 plant be an annual and be thus mutilated it can not, of course, be re- 

 placed by the natural method of seed-sowing. 



In the immediate vicinity of New York City the mayflower has suf- 

 fered more than any other wild flower. Several years ago it grew in 

 comparative abundance all around us, but owing to the extensive gather- 

 ing of it is now completely exterminated. In fact the mayflowers sold 



