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visit the same species in the field many times, but you will never 

 get beyond a mere "speaking acquaintance" with it there in com- 

 parison to the degree of familiarity attained w hen it becomes a 

 resident on the borders of the lawn or in some shady fence-corner, 

 where it may be visited at all times of the day, and if desired, at 

 night also. Still more interesting, because each day some new 

 trait unfolds with the developing plant, is the raising of mature 

 plants from seed. An exchange bureau, to which one could send 

 seeds of the interesting plants of his locality, and obtain seeds of 

 others, might be of value to many correspondents. If those who 

 are interested will notify us, a bureau of this kind will be ar- 

 ranged in the autumn and a list of seeds for exchange mailed to 

 each contributor. Exchangers should prepare to collect twelve 

 packets of one kind, and for these, may select ten different 

 packet's from other localities. Among those plants which would 

 seem most desirable for this purpose are the marsh mallow, musk 

 mallow, the showy asters and golden rods, and other composites, 

 the gentians, the sea pinks and the members of the rose and pea 

 families. It should not be forgotten, however, that showy 

 flowers are not the only things about plants that interest us, and 

 therefore the seeds of those species with remarkable forms of 

 leaves or habits of growth will be desirable. 



A new feature is injected into the discussion of what consti- 

 tutes a weed, when we consider the different values accorded the 

 same species in different parts of the world. Away up on the 

 slopes of the Blue Mountains in Jamaica, where in January roses 

 are in full bloom and strawberries are ripe. I saw them cultivating 

 the common white or ox-eye daisy in the flower beds and was in- 

 formed that it was necessary to give them considerable attention 

 to keep them from dying out. Here a "weed" had turned to a 

 "flower," but near by on the lawn the round arid smiling counte- 

 nance of the dandelion beamed as brightly as it ever does in more 

 northern climes, and served to emphasize the elevation of its 

 companion. By blooming where it was not wanted the dandelion 



