112 The Ottawa Naturalist. | August 



was also able to tell whether the soil was wet or dry by the plants 

 which grew upon it. He also knew what plants required a certain 

 amount of heat to mature seeds. Thus he was able to draw his 

 conclusions as to what proportion of the country would produce 

 wheat and what would not. If a plant were found which took as 

 long as wheat to mature, required as good soil to grow in, and as 

 great heat to make it develop, it was quite safe to conclude that 

 the soil and climate were suitable for wheat. This same know- 

 ledge of plants has been used more recently by Mr. Jas. M. 

 Macoun in exploring the Peace River District How great a 

 service it would be to the farmer if he were familiar with the 

 habits of plants and knew more of the commoner species ! The 

 knowledge would be of the greatest value to him in the purchase 

 of land ; for he would be able to tell at a glance whether a soil was 

 poor or not, or whether it needed drainage. A knowledge of the 

 root growth of weeds would make the eradication of them much 

 easier for him ; for he would better understand what system of cul- 

 ture was necessary. Few farmers know that every kind of weed 

 has a seed which is quite distinct from every other kind. If he 

 knew at sight the seeds of the worst weeds, it would be of the 

 greatest possible service to him in helping him to keep his farm 

 clear of them. Whi'e those practical applications of the study of 

 plants are especially valuable to the farmer, they are useful to the 

 market gardener and townsman as well ; but there are other ways in 

 which the latter may gain knowledge which will be useful to him. 

 There are many species of fungi which are very useful as food ; but 

 the intense ignorance which prevails, makes them of comparatively 

 little value except to a few. The study of fungi would soon lead 

 to a knowledge of the edible kinds and to a larger consumption of 

 this nutritious and wholesome food. To the amateur gardener 

 the study of plants and their habits affords an inexhaustible field. 

 He learns the time of blooming of the different species and 

 varieties, the kinds which require wet soil and those that do not, 

 the height to which each one grows; and he gets an endless amount 

 of knowledge of plants which is of the greatest value to him in his 

 gardening operations. There are many other practical applications 

 which might be mentioned ; but there is not room for them here 

 and, in addition to all this, there remains the great fact that the 

 more knowledge we have, the better is lite worth living, and the 

 knowledge which can be obtained in such a delightful manner as 

 by studying plants and their habits, is sure to have no other than 

 beneficial results. 



A list of the books which are most useful in the study of 

 plants, will be found in The Ottawa Naturalist for May, 1904. 



