THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 19 



splitting up of this old and familiar species in the interests of 

 the physician when we would object to the same proceeding in 

 the interests of the species-maker. 



Improving our Wildflowers. — Now and then there is 

 introduced into cultivation some wild-flower that is scarcely 

 changed from the form and color it possessed in its native 

 haunts, but since probably all plants are susceptible of greater 

 beauty when influenced by careful cultivation, we usually find 

 the introduced plants to be better than the originals. That all 

 plants can be so improved appears to have been only recently 

 understood by the great majority of plant growers. One has 

 only to call to mind the phloxes, snap dragons, petunias, can- 

 nas, gladioluses, and dahlias that grew in grandmother's 

 garden to realize how greatly these plants have been improved 

 during the past few decades. These successes have caused the 

 gardener to look for new subjects with which to experiment 

 and we may expect great things in the future. 



A Remarkable Poison. — Advertisers of patent medi- 

 cines are fond of the statement that their remedies are "purely 

 vegetable" with the added implication that this maks them 

 quite harmless, but as a matter of fact, our most deadly poi- 

 sons are products of the plant world. Among these may be 

 mentioned hydrocyanic acid, aconite, belladonna, strychnine, 

 and morphine, while the toxins excreted by bacteria are in 

 some cases known to be far more deadly than the venom of the 

 most poisonous snake. The deadliest poison of all, however, is 

 now said to be derived from the common castor bean of our 

 gardens and from which castor-oil is produced. The seeds 

 have long been known to be poisonous but the poison exists in 

 very minute quantities in single seeds. When this is obtained 

 in a pure state its terrible death dealing power is apparent. It 

 has been estimated that a single gramme of the poison — about 

 as much as could be heaped on the point of a pocket knife — is 



