THE PLANT WOKLD 63 



41 forest reserves in various parts of the country, having a total area of 

 46,827,969 acres, and we can appreciate how forest protection has grown. 



We may return for a moment to the consideration of the birds that 

 are not ranked as game birds, for they furnish the closest parallel with 

 our plants. As they are practically valueless for food, thej^ were not at 

 first included under protecting laws. They were common property to 

 be destroyed at will. Under the caprice of fashion millions were de- 

 stroyed annually simply for decorative purposes. Owing to this cease- 

 less persecution not a few species were threatened with absolute extinc- 

 tion, and only then did the sentiment for their protection begin to gain 

 ground. At first confined to a few nature-lovers, the agitation has 

 spread until, within the past ten years, we have seen a veritable wave 

 of sentiment for bird-protection extend from end to end of this country. 

 Dozens of societies for the study and protection of birds have been or- 

 ganized, magazines of similar scope have been established, numerous 

 books have been written, and finally legislation has been enacted, mak- 

 ing it a crime against the state or the nation to traffic in our song or 

 insectivorous birds. As the result, the birds of the seashore, plain and 

 forest are to be spared to us. 



I have ventured to indulge in this somewhat lengthy preamble for 

 the purpose of showing, on the one hand, the difficulties that naturally 

 inhere in the problem before us, and, on the other hand, to set forth the 

 measure of encouragement afforded by kindred undertakings. To de- 

 vise means for the adequate protection of our native plants will not be 

 easy ; but the same might have been said a few years ago about our 

 birds, yet their protection by legislative enactment and an awakened 

 public sentiment is an accomplished fact. It is but reasonable to sup- 

 pose that the same may in time be accomplished for our vanishing 

 plants. 



It seems to me that all legitimate effort that can be made for the 

 conservation of the native flora is naturally divisible into two fields — 

 first, the broader, higher plane of enlightened public sentiment regard- 

 ing the protection of plants in general, and, second, the immediate steps 

 that must be taken to save certain of the more showy or interesting 

 forms now threatened with extermination. The first is something we 

 may reasonably hope for, even if it comes slowly ; the second is a prac- 

 tical question that must be solved quickly or it will be too late. 



It has been pretty conclusively shown above that as the plants 

 most in need of the safeguarding are without a definite money value, it 

 can only or largely be accomplished by an appeal to sentiment. As 

 forests possess this economic value, their conservation may safely be 

 left in the hands of interested parties. Under the guidance of this 

 growing band of expert foresters the future is reasonably assured. The 



