42 
THE PLANT WORLD. 
Perhaps I should add to the plants that are in danger of ex¬ 
termination the few cases of groves of great trees. In many 
parts of the country there are such clusters of trees of gigantic 
proportions and of marked interest, but those that are best known 
are the big Sequoias of California, and I feel that this society 
should lend a hand in trying to save these great trees. An effort 
is now being made by the Women’s League of California to pre¬ 
serve these groves of great trees by having them set aside as 
national reservations. I recommend that we do all that we can 
to aid in the passage of the bill which is now pending in Congress. 
What can we do to further our aims? It seems to me that 
one of the most effective things is the securing of government 
reservations, not only for the big trees of California but for other 
choice woodlands. The practice, which is now growing, of set¬ 
ting aside government forest reserves is one that should be en¬ 
couraged. Wherever a great reservation is made the trees and 
shrubs and herbaceous plants will be much more certainly pre¬ 
served. If in the South Allegheny Mountains a great reserve 
is set aside there will be kept at the same time not only the forests 
but the many other plants which live in them. I should like to 
see the same general government supervision of these reserves 
with regard to the vegetation therein, that we have in the Yellow¬ 
stone National Park with regard to the animal life. What the 
government has succeeded in doing in the preservation of wild 
animals it could do also in regard to the preservation of wild 
plants. If we have a considerable number of these reserves scat¬ 
tered over the whole country we shall succeed in preserving for 
all time a number of plants that otherwise seem destined to 
extinction. 
There are other suggestions that might be made, but in this 
short communication I think I may well stop with what I have 
already said. 
Wishing the Society the greatest of success in the future, and 
urging the members to be loyal to the purposes of the organiza¬ 
tion, I am, 
Very truly yours, 
Charles E. Bessey. 
