336 . THE FLORIST AND 



The following from an address by Dr. John H. Ranch, of Bur- 

 lington, Iowa, before the Southern Iowa Horticultural Society, is a 

 worthy tribute to the merit, and a just censure of the neglect of our 

 own Flora. 



The cultivation of our indigenous plants, is a subject to which I would 

 call the attention of this society, one which you have so far almost totally 

 neglected, a neglect of which I am sorry to say you not alone but nearly all 

 who have been similarly engaged in this country are guilty. Your gardens 

 are filled with plants of a foreign, growth, plants that are difficult to culti- 

 vate and in many instances far less beautiful than those which grow upon 

 our prairies neglected. Why this is so, I really cannot conceive ; there are 

 many who know all about foreign plants, but take them into our fields and 

 forests, and they are not able to distinguish one plant from another. — This 

 is fashionable floriculture, a species of cockneyism not to be admired. That 

 we are governed too much by fashion is a deplorable truth, and it is one of 

 the prevailing sins of the present day that fashion in these things is often 

 mistaken for taste. 



"Despotic Fashion in fantastic garb, 

 Oft by her vot'ries, for the magic robe 

 Of Taste mistaken, with ill guiding step, 

 Directs our path." 



For Americans to cultivate foreign plants which are not as handsome as 

 those that are indigenous which they neglect, is certainly in bad taste. 

 The ignorance of men, with regard to our . own plants, who should know 

 better, is also surprising. In illustration of this, I will relate an instance 

 that occurred in your own midst. Quite a number of plants were sent here 

 from a long distance, as great and rare curiosities ; they were received as 

 such, but lo and behold, upon examination they were found to grow abund- 

 antly in our swamps and lowlands. Many will no doubt be surprised when 

 I say that we have a rival in Nelumbium luteum, for the famous Victoria 

 regia ; it is found growing in the waters of our own Mississippi, and I have 

 no doubt would be as all other plants could be greatly improved by cultiva- 

 tion. Many will no doubt also be surprised, when I tell them, that on our 

 more elevated and sandy prairies, we have a plant belonging to the Mexi- 

 can Flora, Amorpha eanescens, the flower of which will vie for beauty with 

 the cactus that they take so much pains to cultivate because it blooms indi- 

 genous on the table lands of Mexico, and I have no doubt if it were gener- 

 ally known that this plant belongs to the Mexican Flora, it would have ere 

 this received their attention, and occupied a prominent place in their 

 gardens. By these remarks I do not wish to be understood as condemning 

 the cultivation of exotics, but let ours claim your attention first, then those 



