r 
Isdit©rieil. 
Mr. John H. Lovell says in a recent letter that a good 
subject for study would be the local distribution of plants 
and we heartily agree with him. In a general way we 
are all familiar with the distribution of the plants in 
which we have more than a passing interest — we do not 
go to the hilltops for water lilies, nor to the cliffs for 
fringed gentian — but possibly none of us could exactly 
define the habitat of the most familiar wild flower in our 
own locality. This matter of habitat is not simply a 
matter of where seeds of the plant may chance to fall. 
We may possibly find the cardinal flower blooming far 
from its favorite stream but it does not persist long in 
such places. The flourishing colonies are always found m 
about the same quality of soil with about the same 
amount of moisture. So it is with a majority of our 
plants. It is a most absorbing study to ascertain the 
exact amounts of water, light and heat, and the kind of 
soil required by each plant. It will be well to keep a 
record of all these features, noting any variations that 
may occur. In this way we may be able to ascertain why 
the skunk's -cabbage is not found in every swamp and 
why other plants are rare or absent from our locality. 
At first glance the migratory weeds like sweet-clover, 
orange hawkweed and prickly lettuce seem to thrive 
almost anywhere, but further thought shows us that 
they, too, have limits beyond which they do not go. 
Now would be a good time to decide upon two or three 
species for observation during the approaching season. 
It would doubtless prove a fascinating subject for leisure 
hours. 
Readers of this magazine have doubtless noted the 
frequency with which articles from our pages have been 
reprinted in other publications. These extracts have been 
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