we lose this particular planting we can begin again with our 
experiments. And if our own climate proves too severe, at least 
we can provide a new plant for other more favored spots. It is 
indeed a joy to have discovered such a treasure to add to our list 
of Wild Flowers that can be cultivated. If any member of the 
Garden Club of America would like to try experiments on her 
own account, we shall be happy to supply her with seeds. 
Frances K. Hutchinson. 
Mosses and Lichens. 
The mosses and lichens play so large a part in the plant life 
of woods and fields that every nature lover should make some 
effort to get acquainted with them. Both mosses and lichens 
have a very important place in the scheme of nature. Both 
groups and especially the lichens are important pioneers of 
other life. The lichens are the very first of all plants to appear 
on rocks, because they can withstand the very severe conditions 
of life on dry bare rocks better than other kinds of plants. 
Some of the mosses also, are extremely resistent to drought and 
other unfavorable conditions. 
While both mosses and lichens are able to withstand the 
severest drought and cold it is none the less true that they thrive 
better in humid than in arid regions. It is for this reason that 
we find them most in rich moist woods. They are more abundant 
in the north than the south because of the more humid conditions 
in the north. Both mosses and lichens are found in nearly all 
situations. Some varieties prefer the shade and some the sun- 
shine ; some require moist woodland soils and others thrive in dry 
sterile situations in the open; some are found only on rocks, 
some only on trees, some only on the soil; some varieties are 
much less particular as to exact habitat than others. 
Ordinarily it does not require much study to be able to 
distinguish mosses from other plants. They resemble the higher 
plants in having stems, leaves and root-like organs. But the 
stem structure is very simple, showing nothing of the vessels 
and wood that are found in ferns and seed plants. Most likely 
to be confused with the mosses are the Liverworts. A large 
number of the Liverworts have a flat horizontal body known as 
the thallus. In these there is no stem and leaf such as are found 
in all mosses. Leafy Liverworts may readily be mistaken for 
mosses but they are much more appressecl to the substratum, 
and there is a row of small leaves on the under side of the trail- 
ing stem quite unlike anything found in the trailing mosses. 
Most mosses are erect and hence cannot be confused with Liver- 
worts. Common Liverworts have a thallus body and hence 
cannot be confused with mosses. 
Perhaps the most interesting of the mosses to the ordinary 
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