FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS OF INDIANA. ODD 



definite limits, each of which posesses its characteristic flora. The 

 character plants of these regions being given and their general appear- 

 ance and habit being understood, the interpretation of soil condi- 

 tions in new areas, is a relatively easy matter. It can be taken as an 

 axiom, that the native plants of a region are the best index of its agri- 

 cultural capacities, a statement which at once indicates the practical 

 value of this knowledge of type plants. This knowledge is not depen- 

 dent upon ability to use a "key" or remember a scientific name, it de- 

 pends simply upon keen vision and a quick perception of relations. 

 These lists of type plants are therefore of especial significance, and 

 they have been collated with great care. 



Plants have also a direct bearing upon man, some being of high 

 value to him, some impeding his efforts, some being positively injuri- 

 ous. The report therefore discusses these plant relations with consid- 

 erable fullness. Thus the timbers of the State are considered not 

 merely in relation to their distribution, but also as regards their uses. 

 Some suggestions are also offered concerning the reclaiming of waste 

 areas, the selection of forms suitable for such work and methods of 

 planting. The weeds and poisonous plants are also considered, not 

 only as regards their noxious qualities, but also as to their general ap- 

 pearance and habits of growth, in order that they may be easily 

 recognized. 



The general conclusions with the antecedent discussions are best 

 treated: in paragraph form, and hence precede the catalogue. Under 

 each specific form listed in the latter, there is given its known distri- 

 bution within the State, together with other data of interest and value. 

 This catalogue represents the results of twenty years' study of the flora 

 of the State, the collection of the data for its presentation in the pres- 

 ent form having been carried on for the past six years. It is presented 

 in the hope that it will serve to show the intimate relations existing 

 between science and the various industries dependent upon cultivation 

 ■of the soil. 



BOUNDARY. 



"The State of Indiana is included between 3T° 41' and 41° 46' 

 north latitude, and between 84° 44' and 88° 6' west longitude. It is 

 bounded on the north by the parallel which is ten miles north of the 

 southern extremity of Lake Michigan; on the east by the meridian of 

 the mouth of the Great Miami River; on the south by the Ohio, and 

 on the west by the Wabash Paver and the meridian of Yincennes. Its 

 extreme length is 250 miles, its average width 145 miles, its area, 

 -36,350 square miles." 



