CONSERVATION OF WILD FLOWERS 
395 
of nature. We are coming to feel that animals and plants 
which give pleasure to us should be permitted to live. Game 
laws and animal preserves are helping to protect some of 
our rare animals that were being destroyed by man. The 
time has come when simi¬ 
lar provisions should be 
made for our choice and 
rare plants. 
Owing to the limited 
area of wild tracts, par¬ 
ticularly near cities, wild 
flowers will soon disap¬ 
pear utterly unless the 
public is educated to en¬ 
joy them as they grow. 
The study of plants which 
you have just made tells 
you about their habits so 
that you may know how 
to deal with them. For in¬ 
stance, little harm is done 
by picking the flowers of 
trillium, because its 
thickened stem, deep in Figure 361. — Fringed Gentian. 
the ground, will put up One of the flowers that is eagerly sought 
another flower stalk the after by flower pickers as a result of which 
. it is becoming less and less common. As 
next year, if it has tood j s an ann ual, picking all the flowers 
enough stored to enable prevents its further growth in that region, 
it to do SO. In the case This flower should not be picked by friends 
. . of wild flowers, 
of arbutus, however, it is 
difficult to pick the blossoms without pulling loose from 
the soil the long trailing stem, which is then left to die. 
In your study of the flower, you have learned that the 
seeds are developed in the flower and if you pick all the 
flowers, no seeds can be formed. Lovers of wild flowers 
