STUDYING THE WILD FLOWERS. 



By L. E. Hurst. 



IV 71 Y own inherent love of flowers has led me on many a 

 ^^ ^ long and weary tramp, in search of woodland beauties; 

 and as far as my ability permitted, I have studied and analyzed 

 those flowers which are found in our neighboring fields and 

 woods When I first began the study of botany, I deemed it 

 necessary to press at least one specimen of every kind ; but the 

 last few years I have learned a better way to preserve the 

 form and beauty of these fragile woodlings, and that is by 

 means of the camera, the brush and the pencil. The pressed 

 specimen is at best a poor representation of the grace and 

 beauty of the natural flower ; it is merely the husk, out of which 

 the life and sweetness of spring have forever been crushed. 



Another way. in which I enjoy the wild flowers, is by 

 transplanting them to my garden. There, without trouble or 

 inconvenience, I can watch the procession ofSpring. The place 

 where they thrive best is under an osage hedge, where the fall 

 winds cover them with leaves, making a warm blanket 

 which the thorny branches hold in place. This space, however, 

 is inadequate to meet the demands of my ambition, so I have 

 chosen a shady nook beneath some trees, and already have quite 

 a collection. The ground itself is sand, tho moist and rich, and 

 to this I have added a quantity of well-rotted wood, spading it 

 in as much as posible. The plants certainly respond well to this 

 treatment, rewarding me every spring with a mass of bloom. 

 When one has the space, this way, perhaps, yields the most 

 enjoyment, tho the pictures furnish us with the image long 

 after the flower itself has withered and died. 



Avon, O. 



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