102 THE PLANT WORLD 



results. In other words, our societies for the preservation of native wild 

 flowers should exert their energies to secure the enactment of stringent 

 laws for the protection of such plants as stand in need of it in their 

 localities. The sale of flowers like the trailing arbutus should be stopped 

 and the collection of plants like the climbing fern should be absolutely 

 prohibited, except by the accredited agents of scientific institutions. 



It will take time to educate public sentiment until it will secure 

 adequate enforcement of such laws, just as it has taken time to educate 

 public sentiment up to the point of enforcing the laws for the protection 

 of game and song birds, but the sooner the agitation is begun, the sooner 

 will the desired results be obtained. For public opinion follows, not 

 leads, in such matters. The need for action is the more urgent from the 

 fact that it will soon be too late to save some of our most beautiful plants 

 from extinction in settled localities, the very place where they will do 

 the most good. 



The cutting of forest and the reclaiming of swamp and moor areas 

 presents an entirely different problem, which must be met in a different 

 way. Where the land is sufficiently valuable to pay for the reclaiming 

 of it for agricultural or building purposes, little can be done, except by 

 the incorporation of such areas into public parks where they are situated 

 near enough to cities to warrant it. Even then the landscape gardener 

 will very likely improve (?) the native plants out of existence. Forest 

 Park in Brooklyn and Van Cortlandt and Bronx Parks in the Borough 

 of the Bronx, New York City, have been conspicuous examples of beauty 

 of nature unadorned by art. 



To the writer a trip to Van Cortlandt Park is productive of a 

 pleasure that the glories of Central Park can never even approximate. 

 One of the greatest attractions at the Botanical Gardens in Bronx Park 

 is due to the intelligent jireservation and care of the native plants in 

 many of the most beautiful spots. Flower lovers in New York and other 

 large cities owe it to themselves and to the ideals they represent to see 

 to it that measures are taken to preserve untouched such spots as the 

 woodland and swamp in Van Cortlandt and Forest Parks. 



The forestry agitation and the forest reservations will, of course, 

 tend to preserve woodland plants of all kinds, and flower lovers should 

 reinforce the forestry associations at all possible points. 



The pulp mill is without question the most dangerous enemy of our 

 forests. The ordinary lumberman will leave enough young trees stand- 

 ing to practically reforest the lumbered areas in twenty years, but the 

 pulp-wood cutter leaves nothing but desolation. 



The Green Mountains in southern Vermont have been the scene of 

 lumbering operations for years, but the forest areas rapidly renovate 

 themselves, so that little damage is done to the native flora ; the land still 



