THE D O IT R T. E 



ff/Tf/t/'t njlic'nuills. 



PI AT may be the value 

 to nature^ collectively, 

 of the changes in 

 natural form, which 

 man has aifeeted or 

 1 endered permanent hy 

 the arts he employs 

 in the cultivation of 

 plants and animals^ 

 it is impossible at the 

 present time for any 

 one, however obser- 

 vant, to estimate. But 

 of the magnitude of 

 such changes, and of 

 the immense area over which 

 thev have spread, students of 

 pLmt hihtory and form may 

 gain some idea, even though 

 they must necessaril}' fail to grasp the full measure of 

 the matter. Pa'oiiia officinnlix is a ])lant of some im- 

 portance for its splendour and hardiness; but at this 

 moment, looking at the future before us, and calling to 

 mind the many splendid pteonies we possess, we are tempted 



