112 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



tall stem." This statement is taken from a book published dur- 

 ing the present year. Had the author gone to nature instead of 

 to books for his information, he would have found ants in 

 plenty travelling up the stems, various beetles feedmg among 

 the blossoms, and larvae of butterflies feeding on the leaves. 



Number OF Plant Species. — Theophrastus (twenty-two 

 centuries ago) knew about 500 species of plants of all kinds; 

 Linne (two centuries ago) knew 8,551 species; DeCandolle 

 (in 1819) reckoned 30,000 species of Phanerogams, alone; 

 Lindley (in 1845) reckoned 79,837 species of Phanerogams; 

 Duchartre (in 1885) placed the number of Phanerogams then 

 known at 100,000 species, and of Cryptogams at 25,000 spe- 

 cies ; Saccardo (in 1892) estimated the known species of plants 

 of all kinds at 173,706 ; while a very recent calculation by Bes- 

 sey (in 1910) places the number at about 210,000. 



Our Unsubdued Wildflowers. — As a matter of senti- 

 ment we may regret the disappearance of many choice wild- 

 flowers from the haunts of men, but a cold business proposition 

 cannot take sentiment into account and without emotion city 

 building lots are staked out in the midst of many a floral para- 

 dise. The wildflowers are diminishing in the thickly settled 

 portions of our country in spite of our best efforts to the con- 

 trary, but it is comforting to reflect that there are vast areas 

 even close to civilization from which it will be practically im- 

 possible to ever eradicate the flowers. No one who has ever 

 crossed the state of Pennsylvania from east to west will doubt 

 this assertion. The railways wind along in narrow valleys 

 from which rise hills too steep for farming, too steep for pas- 

 turing, almost too steep for climbing and fit only for growing 

 timber. In such retreats the wilflowers will linger on in no 

 fear of extermination. The botanist may penetrate to their 

 haunts but no thoughtless band of picnickers will devastate 

 the landscape, nor will the march of civilization blot out whole 



