ALPINE FIELDS FOR ENGLAND 153 



bred English fields; why cause anything so 

 individual to become mongrel ? And this sounds 

 plausible until we examine the pedigree of some of 

 our " indigenous " flowers, and find that they are 

 *' doubtful natives," and owe their presence among 

 us to the Roman invader or are "escapes from 

 cultivation." Precedent is therefore on our side. 

 Then why should not we of this twentieth century 

 do as did the Romans for Britain— only with a 

 little more method, not trusting to the seed 

 of Alpine field-flowers coming inadvertently to 

 England in our portmanteaux, our boots, or our 

 hair ? We ought not to be afraid of the in- 

 evitable trend of things towards a more general, 

 more common aspect. We may well nurse some 

 particular individuality so long as it is eminently 

 useful, but at the same time we should leave 

 our judgment open with regard to accretion, or, 

 as the dictionary calls it, "increase by natural 

 growth." Insularity is a disappearing quantity, 

 and there surely will and must come a time when 

 we shall chiefly hear of it from books of ancient 

 history and scandalous Memoii^es. 



But if for the present we cannot bring ourselves 

 to continue systematically the work of the Romans, 

 let us at least take in hand some of the field-plants 



