THE PLANT WORLD 151 



HOW THE WILD FLOWERS ARE PROTECTED. 



BY ELIZABETH G. BRITTON. 



All around us are exami)les of " the survival of the fittest." The 

 sensitive fern is identical with its fossil ancestors, dating back to the 

 Cretaceous, many thousand years ago ; the maiden-hair fern has no 

 near relative, except in Japan. How have they adapted themselves to 

 changing conditions ? And what has made it possible for them to sur- 

 vive in the struggle for existence ? We propose to turn over the pages 

 of Illustrated Flora hastily, and select in all the larger families a few 

 examples of the showiest and most common " wild flowers," indicating 

 what ways they have arrived at a measure of protection, and how they 

 may be least injured by picking. 



Ferns. — The royal, cinnamon and interrupted ferns are frequently 

 transplanted ; their large rootstocks and decorative foliage render them 

 particularly desirable, but they prefer moist and shady places, and wdll 

 not thrive in dry or sunny locations. The Christmas fern and maiden- 

 hair need wood loam and shade ; they are frequently gathered, as well 

 as transplanted, and both have strong, long underground stems. The 

 maiden-hair has been exterminated from several stations near New York 

 City by men who dig it up for sale ; it used to be abundant on the Pali- 

 sades, between Fort Lee and Pleasant Valley, and should be protected 

 elsewhere in that region. The climbing and walking ferns are rare in 

 this vicinity, and sliould be protected by private owners. 



Club-mosses. — The ground pine is annually gathered in large quan- 

 tities for making into ropes of Christmas greens ; but it is gathered in 

 winter, and its subterranean rootstocks are not disturbed ; therefore, it is 

 not exterminated, though not common in this region. Statistics and 

 personal experiences of its collection would be of interest. 



Grasses and Sedges. — These are more liable to be replaced and ex- 

 cluded by cultivation than by picking ; only a few of the showiest, such 

 as the cotton-grasses, are popularly gathered, and these are protected 

 by strong roots and thick, bunchy stems. 



Arum Family. — Jack-in-the-pulpit is the best known and most popu- 

 lar plant ; it is easily uprooted, and reproduces rather slowly from seeds 

 and corms. The editors of St. Nicholas, and the teachers who illustrate 

 Whittier's poem in the schools, should try to prevent its destruction as 

 far as possible, and encourage those who have the opportunity to watch 

 it in favorable locations, to record its rate of increase and relative abun- 

 dance. It is a perennial, and should be gathered without the corm. 



Lily Family. — Several species of wild lilies are not uncommon Avithin 

 the Kmits of Greater New York. They are protected by bulbs growing 

 deep in the soil, and will even survive in mowing fields and old pas- 



