40 THE PLANT WORLD 



The Wild Flower Preservation Society 



of America. 



Popular interest in nature study is usually at its lowest ebb in winter 

 time, when the attention is apt to be absorbed by other things. It is 

 gratifying therefore that the Society is still gaining ground and enrolling 

 new members from all parts of the country. A circular letter has been 

 prepared, calling attention to the work of the Society and its future aims, 

 and this letter will be sent to as many teachers as possible. All of our 

 present members are earnestly requested to cooperate by sending to the 

 secretary lists of persons who should receive these letters and the litera- 

 ture published by the Society, 



The movement for the increase of public parks in various municipalities 

 will be actively pushed. In many cases the only effective method of pro- 

 tecting a station for a rare plant is by setting the region aside as a park 

 and placing it under police surveillance. The value of municipal coop- 

 eration in this respect is well illustrated in the city of Washington, where 

 the National Rock Creek Park, a tract of many acres, in absolutely wild 

 condition, is one of the most attractive regions in which to observe the 

 native flora. The valley of the upper Potomac, on the other hand, 

 though naturally much more attractive in flora and scenery, is being 

 rapidly denuded of its rarer plants, being without protection of any sort. 

 Efforts are now being made to have this region also set aside as a park. 



When the spring comes it behooves the teachers of nature-study classes 

 to exercise great care in their choice of plants for analysis. The average 

 school course does not require a wide variety of material, and it is nearly 

 always possible to find some common species to illustrate every group 

 under investigation. Do not even run the risk of showing a bunch of 

 rare orchids to your class, for the chances are that one of them will make 

 a visit to the spot later and gather every one of the blossoms. Better a 

 little deficiency in the knowledge of structural relationships and a stronger 

 appreciation of plant life as a whole. These may seem to be trivial 

 observations, but it must be remembered that all such considerations are 

 novel to the average child intelligence, and that general mental training 

 is really the most important factor of education. 



By an accidental error, we omitted to state that the article by Miss 

 Messenger on ' ' The Preservation of Our Native Plants, ' ' in the January 

 issue, was published through the courtesy of the New York Botanical 

 Garden. 



