5A REPORT—1905. 
Professor Boulger. Daffodils, which a few years ago grew abundantly in 
a wood in front of his house, were now almost extinct owing to the 
depredations of collectors, who came every spring and carried them away. 
Many fir-trees were also subject to destruction. With reference to the 
picking of blackberries, he had done what he could to induce farmers to 
prevent the people from gathering them, but the farmers dare not inter- 
fere, as if they did, the coping on their walls, &c., would be pushed down. 
It was also pitiable to see the way in which young trees were dug up. 
It would be a great benefit if something could be done to prevent cyclists 
and others from breaking the trees and taking the bloom away with them. 
Mr. P. Ewing (Glasgow) said he would speak first upon the clergy. 
Speaking for Scotland, the English clergy were the worst enemies they 
had. A great many plants had become extinct owing to their depreda- 
tions. As to the market gardener, he did not mind him so much, as he 
generally left something of the plants behind. He had known districts 
supposed to be cleared by these men in which the plants had come back 
again. The thing he objected to was the extermination of plants that 
would not reproduce themselves. He spoke of the Alpine flowers.. He 
thought legislation was a difficult matter, and, so far as he could gather, 
the Bill proposed left the owner free to allow people on his land to get 
anything they wanted. 
Mr. Longden (Stanton) said he did not think there would be any 
chance of getting legislation on the subject next year, but it appeared to 
him there were means, through the school teachers, of preventing the 
destruction of wild flowers. A short circular, he suggested, should be 
sent out in the first instance to the school teachers calling their attention 
to the subject, and, perhaps, putting them in communication with someone 
who would get out a book with simple English names, illustrated, and 
with interesting stories, if possible, with reference to the plants, so that 
the children should be interested. He thought this would be a move in 
the right direction. He also thought the practice of herbaceous garden- 
ing was an immense improvement on carpet gardening, and one way in 
which wild flowers could be preserved. 
Mr. H. Coates (Perth) thought that the local Societies were very much 
indebted to Professor Boulger for his paper, as he regarded this as one of 
the most important subjects they could possibly discuss, and one which 
they were eminently qualified to deal with, because they knew the local 
conditions in the different districts and might be able to suggest remedies. 
Mr. Coates said he was very much in favour of one suggestion, which 
he hoped his Society might be able to carry out, and that was with regard 
to the establishment of gardens for the cultivation of plants which are 
in danger of extermination. Professor Boulger had specially referred to 
Ben Lawers in that connection, and Mr. Coates saw no reason why his 
Society should not take the initiative in doing something in that way. 
The Perthshire Society had always looked upon Ben Lawers as specially 
its own preserve, and had always jealously guarded it, and he could safely 
say that the botanists of his Society had done what they could. Professor 
Boulger had also referred to the practice in England of collecting large 
numbers of the”more showy plants, but Mr. Coates thought that did not 
obtain very much in Scotland—or, at any rate, in Perthshire—probably 
because there was not the same ready sale for them there as in London. 
What they suffered most from was the local professional collector, who 
collected rare plants to sell to tourists. He knew one locality which had 
