3 



ations naturally outweigh aesthetic value, although he may, or 

 may not, have an appreciation of the beauty of his stock in trade. 

 The collection and sale of living plants or herbarium specimens is 

 a perfectly legitimate business ; but there is no excuse for devastat- 

 ing Nature's choice retreats or of exterminating- her best works 

 of art for greed of gain. 



On the other hand the scientist argues that anything sacri- 

 ficed in behalf of science is praiseworthy. To be able to add 

 facts to a known science requires the wholesale slaughter of much 

 innocent beauty. Anatomical peculiarities can only be discov- 

 ered by dissection and rigid investigation of many specimens; 

 hence extinction of a species often follows in the wake of the 

 friend (?) of the cause. 



The culturist is more likely to have a keener appreciation of 

 the real beauty of the ferns and wildings than collectors of either 

 of the other two classes; for with him aesthetic value has not 

 given place to sordid considerations. He not only loves the ferns 

 and wild flowers, but appreciates them from an artistic stand- 

 point ; he wishes to make them grow where they can be seen and 

 enjoyed with less trouble than in their native haunts. He also 

 must have a surplus of material to draw from, for only certain 

 forms and stages of growth will fit into the various places he 

 wishes to fill. All of this may be done with careful selection. 



But alas ! the gospel of moderation is everywhere in order, 

 and a plea that Nature's sylvan dells be not roughly dealt with, 

 and that this sort of vandalism be checked before her choicest 

 treasures are exterminated. Granted that nobody ozvns the wild 

 things growing, and that nobody can " stake a claim," yet the 

 smallest soul among us should feel conscience smitten for laying 

 greedy fingers on pictured walls too exquisite to touch even for a 

 laudable purpose. " I shall never pass this way again, and no 

 one else is likely to follow in my footsteps ; for no one else cares 

 for these things as I do," is a common excuse for making a 

 clean sweep of a rare " find." Others say to themselves, " If I 

 do not take it somebody else will," and the beautiful growth 



