What Is Happening to the Wild Flowers 147 



The children do not want to go home with only a few 

 flowers, and so they wander farther into the country than 

 they have ever been before. Here they find them as 

 abundant as they us6d to be near home. 



The children do not stop to think that at the base of the 

 bright, fragrant blossoms grow the seed that will make the 

 flowers of the next year. Nature can spare the seed of a part 

 of the blossoms, for she grows many more than she needs ; 

 but if we pick them all, what can she do for the coming year ? 



The wild flowers are Uving things struggling for a place 

 in the world, just as are the animals and birds. We cannot 

 abuse and destroy too many of them if we would have them 

 stay and add to the beauty of our homes. Should we not 

 take just as much pleasure in gathering the flowers if we 

 did not bring home more than we needed ? Would it not 

 be better to be satisfied with smaller bouquets and leave 

 enough in the fields to go to seed and gladden us next year ? 



The reckless gathering of wfld flowers has gone on so long 

 and they have been picked so closely about many of our 

 towns and cities, that they are disappearing. When there 

 are no longer wild flowers within reach of the children who 

 live in the cities, they will have lost a great joy out of their 

 lives. 



There are besides the flowers of which we have been 

 speaking other low plants of beautiful foliage with which 

 we love to decorate our homes. We must take care that 

 these are not gathered too closely or they also will become 

 scarce. We caimot go out into the woods and pull up ferns 

 by the roots year after year and expect Nature to keep up 

 the supply. 



The huckleberry is one of the many beautiful shrubs 



