28 



AMI.RICAX FORl-.STR^' 



of magnificent bunches of blackish berries drooping from 

 them. Tall, rank grasses grew evcrj- where; extensive 

 patches of the blue boneset (Eupatormm ccelestimim) , 

 some golden rod and golden aster, and a whole lot of 

 other flowers. But the milkweeds, with their masses of 

 winged seeds gently floating upon the breeze, formed the 

 principal attraction — simply beautiful in the blaze of the 

 sunlight of that exquisite autumn afternoon. 



These silk-tufted seeds and these tough milkweed 

 stalks have both some commercial value. The former, 

 mixed with flax or wool, can be woven into a fairly useful 

 fabric, while the latter have been used by our paper 

 manufacturers, which last might well be considered at 

 the present time, when those interested are cudgeling 

 their brains to find material for this purpose. The stalks 

 of the dead cotton plant have a similar use, and there are 

 doubtless others that can be made to furnish stuff from 

 which paper can be made. Prodigal America should 

 promptly turn its attention to this matter, in order to 

 save the thousands of valuable trees that are now being 

 sacrificed to this end. 



Some of our milkweeds seem to ne\-cr have received a 

 common or vernacular name, and descri])tions of them are 

 not to be met with in the popular works on our plants 

 and flowers. Among these we find Asclepias amplexicaulis, 

 first described by the botanist James Edward Smith, 

 though I believe it was the A. obtusi folia of Michaux 

 before him. These are the species the young student 

 should give his best attention to, and let his researches 

 be recorded. The species just named is found in sandy 

 places, from New England to Nebraska and southward. 

 Other species are in the same case, and their scientific 

 names can easily be found in Gray's Manual. 



Before leaving them I would invite attention to the 

 peculiar seed-pods of the A. amplexicaulis mentioned 

 above. These are of some size and spindle-formed, and I 

 found at least three of them springing from the upper 

 free end of the stem of the plant which bore them; in 

 other cases there were but two (Fig. 6). 



Curiously enough, we have at least one species of 

 milkweed in which the seed has, sometimes, no silky 

 attachment, — that is, no coma. This is the case in 

 A. perennis. Again, we must be on the look-out 

 for hybrids among these interesting perennial herbs; 

 not a few have already been found, and others will be by 

 careful search in the regions where many kinds of 

 milkweeds flourish. 



No member of the milkweed family ever attempts 

 self-fertilization, as is the case in so many other flowering 

 plants. As a consequence, the milkweeds have thriven 

 tremendously, and are now represented in zones and 

 places suited to them around the entire world. Fertili- 

 zation in them is performed wholly through the agency 

 of insects, and among these are principally to be reckoned 

 many species of butterflies, bees, flies, beetles, and wasps. 

 Doubtless, too, diuing the night, moths and other insects 

 perform a similar service. The story of the ferliHzation 

 of milkweed flowers reads like a fairy-tale, and much has 



been published on the subject. Professor Robertson has 

 given especial attention to this line of research work, and 

 it is truly marvelous what a chapter it makes in botany 

 and natural history. In short articles like the present 

 one, it will be quite out of the question to take the matter 

 up, but this may be done later in another connection. 

 Next summer, however, no more interesting stud_\' could 

 be taken up than that of the intimate structiore of a single 

 millaveed flower, ^vith a careful investigation of the 

 suckers, feet, and habits of representatives of all the 

 insects I have enumerated above. When this has been 

 sufficiently mastered, a moderatelj^ strong hand-magni- 

 iying glass with considerable field can be used to stud>- 

 the flowers in situ, as they grow in nature, at times when 

 the insects mentioned are visiting them. Note how the 

 flowers have come to assume structures and forms that 

 compel these insects to carry away the pollen from them, 

 to fertiHze the flowers of other milkweeds far and near. 

 It is truly an extraordinary chapter in nature's ways, and 

 by no means an unprofitable one to look well into. Tr_\' 

 it! And if you love novelty and ways that are passing 

 curious. I am sure you will make more than one \asit to 

 the milkweeds with your magnif\-ing glass. 



So it will be seen that the preservation and extension of 

 milkweeds is sure of accomplishment ; the flowers are not 

 self-fertilizing, and theirseeds, which are very abundant, are 

 pro\-ided with a means ensuring widespread distribution. 



All plants are not thus fortunate with respect to their 

 conservation — indeed, few plants are — as I have clearly 

 pointed out in American Forestry in a previous issue. 

 This inclines me to sa\' a word here in regard to a matter 

 recently brought to my attention. I have been given to 

 understand that Mr. Alex. J. Negley, of Pittsburgh, Pa. 

 (305 N. Negley Ave.), who is greatly interested in the 

 conservation of our wild flowers, has lately been making 

 some very important experiments in that direction. Mr. 

 Negley has collected large quantities of the seeds of such 

 plants as foxglove, larkspur and golden aster {Chrysopsis) 

 and when down, I think he said somewhere in Florida, 

 he threw these seeds from his motor car into likely places 

 on both sides of the road which he traveled, with the hope 

 that some of them would germinate and spread their 

 kind in the new localities. This they did, more abun- 

 dantly than he anticipated, and very soon the people 

 living in those places spoke of the new flowers that were 

 appearing in their region; others noticed them in passing 

 over those roads in their cars. This admirable work 

 should be extended over very much larger areas; in fact 

 the U. S. Department of Agriculture should take hold of 

 it, if it has not already done so, and scientifically enlarge 

 upon the suggestion so thoughtfully put on foot by Mr. 

 Negley. Many of our most beautiful flowers are being 

 exterminated over wide areas, and we should most assur- 

 edly make every effort to preserve those that are harm- 

 less as well as very beautiful, in that our descendants 

 may enjoy them as we have. This should be looked into 

 at an early date, and steps taken to have it assume a 

 practical form. 



