72 
In many localities, wild-flowers that bloomed in the familiar 
places of our childhood have disappeared from their haunts, The 
woodland blossoms went with the woodland; the violets and 
cowslips and Jack-in-the-pulpits died out soon after the wet cor- 
ner of the meadow was drained; the fair colonies of hepaticas 
that for generations had flourished .on the northern slope of the 
terrace went down forever before the relentless plough. These 
are the causes that cannot be controlled. The cutting of the 
woodland, the draining of the meadow and the cultivation of the 
upland are necessary and lawful results of advancing civilization, 
Because then so many of our native plants must necessarily 
perish, it behooves all who love them to put forth greater energy 
to stem the tide of needless waste and destruction that in many. 
places is leading to their extinction. 
While we welcome every indication of a growing appreciation of 
flowers among our people, it is with consternation and a tighten- 
ing of the heart-strings, that the real lover of flowers beholds the 
victims of the massacre exposed for sale in our city streets. 
Those poor little bunches of trailing arbutus! Who does not 
know them? All the beautiful green leaves cut away, and the 
poor little upturned blushing faces crowded together! Those of 
us who have tenderly brushed away the dry brown forest-leaves 
and found these “ babes in the wood”’ awake and timidly peeping 
out, catch our breath and hurry by. The dainty little Mcchella, 
the partridge-berry, is by no means infrequently to be found ata 
flower-stand. The Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is 
ruthlessly consumed by the florist; and the same may be sai 
of the southern Galax whose beautiful shining leaves surround 
many a bunch of hothouse violets, a strange and foreign union 
to those who understand, and one as lacking in artistic feeling as 
would be a delicate La France rose with its foliage supplanted by 
sturdy oak leaves. 
he gathering of these woodland treasures for the city market 
is largely the work of Italians who make it their regular business. 
With no thought beyond the present need, they are a dangerous 
foe to such plants as have a market value. The trailing arbutus 
cannot be transplanted with success. Surely it would be a mat- 
