THE ABUSE AND PROTECTION OF ALPINES 123 



yellow Achillea, the blue Iris, the red Valerian, the 

 rosy Bulbocodium, the purple Anemone, the blue 

 Hyssop, the poisonous Lettuce, the curious Ephedra 

 Helvetica, the rare Campanula eoccisa, the yellow 

 Cactus [opuntia), and the feather-like Stipa pennata, 

 with which the peasants, guides, and tourists so 

 often decorate their hats. It is, then, for a flora 

 such as this — a flora which, by reason of its unique 

 nature, must yet prove of inestimable use to Science 

 — that the Society for the Protection of Plants has 

 taken up arms, and, amongst other activities, has 

 fostered the formation of gardens. 



But if mere sentiment were the only thing at 

 stake, even on that score the destruction of the 

 flora would probably have a most mischievous 

 effect. The dearth of varied, cheerful loveliness in 

 this direction could not but react unhealthily upon 

 our character by injuring our outlook and thus 

 impairing our capacity. To quote a passage from 

 a Spanish source, used as a motto by the Swiss 

 Association pou7^ la Protection des Plantes upon the 

 title-page of its yearly reports : ' If you wish to 

 understand the importance of plants, imagine a 

 world without them, and the comparison will alarm 

 you, because the idea of death will at once present 

 itself.' No doubt there are many people who will 



