104 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the symmetry of their development, revelling in their glowing colors, 

 velvety texture and dclic'ous fragrance, we exhaust the superlatives of 

 all complimentary adjectives over those marvels of modern art, our 

 autumn Dahlias and Chrysanthemums, but with all their magnificence 

 we are conscious of something of formality and artificiality, a lack of 

 sentiment and suggestion which is supplied in such generous measure 

 by the unobtrusive treasures of the shadowy woodlands or the stream- 

 let's verge. It is the flower fresh from the hand of the Creator, before 

 man has produced upon it any of his so-considered beautifying mal- 

 formations, that is most eloquent of infinite skill, wisdom and benefi- 

 cence. Its delicacy of texture, the ingenuit}- of its structure, the ex- 

 quisite adaptation of every organ to its office, appeal at once to the mind 

 of the mechanic, the eye of the artist and the heart of the poet and 

 worshiper. 



It is in the wild flowers only that we find those mystic types and 

 correspondences of our varying human moods and emotions. Who will 

 undertake to analyze and catalogue the distinct sensations experienced 

 in the consideration of flowers met with during a single springtime ram- 

 ble.'' And yet, who will deny the individuality of expression in the 

 different species.^ Why do some move us joyously, so that, with Woods- 

 worth : 



" The mind with pleasure fills, 

 And dances with the daffndils." 



Why do others seem the embodiment of pathos, like the drooping 

 bells of fair Linnaca ? What is really the secret of the Violet's mod- 

 esty, the grace of the Columbine or the royalty of the Cardinal flower .-* 

 These are subjective impressions of the most elusive quality and offer an 

 interesting field for the psychologist. But after all, we can hardly wish 

 all these questions answered in metaphysical polysyllables. Rather let 

 them remain as impalpable as fragrance or the impact of color on the 

 optic nerve, a spiritual gift from the finer senses. 



In the wild flowers of North America, the botanist and the lover of 

 nature have a field of study probably more extensive than that offered 

 by any other division of the globe. Very few are the floral types not 

 here represented, although some of the more bizzarre and striking forms 

 may not be found within our boundaries. 



As to the intrinsic beauty of our species, that most accurate obser- 

 ver and poetic writer on popular natural history, John Burroughs, in 

 comparing our wild flowers with those of England, says : " In my ex- 

 cursions into field and forest, I saw nothing of the intense brilliancy of 

 our cardinal flower, which almost baffles the eye ; nothing with the wild 



