BIOLOGICAL PAPERS. 215 



which five were lost. Some of the others barely survived. Those 

 that lived manifested all degrees of vigor, some scarcely growing at 

 all ; others growing so luxuriantly that they had to receive artificial 

 support. One hundred and seventeen species bloomed, of which 

 about eighty per cent, made a better showing than in their native 

 condition. 



It is surprising to note the expressions of interest on the part of 

 many farmers in the plants about them, when the subject of wild 

 flowers and their culture is approached from an economic standpoint. 

 I have shown people plants that they had looked at all their lives, 

 and yet had never seen. After they had really seen them, they were 

 surprised and delighted, and wondered why they had never known 

 before that these plants possessed such beauty. 



A strong reason why more wild flowers are not cultivated is because 

 of the erroneous idea that the deep-rooted perennials are diflScult to 

 transplant. I think that I have shown that they are not difficult, and 

 that many of them are easy to transplant. For example, I dug two 

 roots of bush morning-glory {Ipoma'a leptophylla) — one five inches 

 in diameter where cut off, and weighing sixty pounds ; the other weigh- 

 ing five pounds. No fibrous roots were secured in either case. The 

 larger root sent up several shoots, but soon stopped growing and even 

 withered considerably. After a little, however, it began to grow again, 

 gradually increasing until fall, by which time it had become well es- 

 tablished. The other one grew into a vigorous plant and bloomed 

 profusely. Another flower that is thought to be difficult to transplant 

 is the sensitive brier {Morongia uncinata). Of this, five roots were 

 collected on the 10th of June ; four of them grew fairly well and 

 bloomed. Yucca ylauca is another deep-rooted plant, of which five 

 specimens were secured, having roots about two feet long, but no fi- 

 brous roots. All of these grew. 



Evening primrose {Megapternmi missouriense) has a deep, fleshy 

 root, with no fibrous roots near the surface. I secured six specimens 

 of this plant about the 10th of August. They had crooked, knotty 

 roots about a half-inch in diameter and eight inches long. Within a 

 week from the time of planting they showed a marked new growth, 

 and by the middle of September there was a goodly supply of new 

 leaves, and the plants seemed well established. 



I have found a few species a little more difficult to transplant; but 

 their value compensates for the labor expended — Mexican poppy 

 {Argemone alba) and evening aster {Mentzelea ornata). The latter 

 is a biennial. Of the former, forty plants were planted, of which 

 two survived. These grew very thriftily and bloomed for three 

 months. One of these plants bore 325 flowers, while the other bore 



