Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-02-01
TIE VERMONT PLANTS.

THE VERMONT PLANTS.
The Vermont Botanical club has re-
Gently published in the twentieth
Vermont agricultural report, a new
flora in the form of list of the fern
and seed plants growing without cult
walton in the state. 1t was prepared
by Ezra Brainerd, l.. X. Jones and W.
W. Eggleston. In addition to brief
notes concerning habitat and distribu-
ton of each plant, the catalogue con
tains several supplementary lists and
brief discussions of lesser floraS-
Fifteen hundred anil sixty.three species
and varieties are listed. Eighty-One
of these are ferns or their relatives.
The Sedge Family contains the largest
number of species, having 1872 repre-
sentativoS The composites come
next with III different kinds, while
the grasses hoLl the shrd pace. being
| 1870 species. In the spring the Yer
mont air is laden wish the perfume of
40 different kinds a PLAN Ds,.n4gine
| to the rose family while in the fall the
| fields and ruadsides are Frightened by
80 asters and % golden rods. Ii may
encourage the collector Of the rare and
| unique in rlant forms to note I'll at
there are 43 orchids hidden away in
the rCcesses of the deep woods and
swamps. .Seventy-n different spe-
Cies Df trees grow spontaneously on
the Vermont hillsides. including eleven
oaks seven naples. six ppplars and
four each of birch and pine
II is matter Of Congratu lat ion that
We have so many and such a Urofu-
sion of flowers On the other hand
r,lo
We 40 nov welcome According 10 the
catalogue there are at least SO such
plants. those which may he classified
under the term weeds. twenty-five or
thirty Of these are commonly distri-
buted throughout the state and. al.
though considered bad weeds. are kept
in subsection by the diligent farmers
few, however. common in certain 10
calties, are most perniciuus. being
controlled only By the expenditure of
great amount of time and labor.
The shrubby Cinquefoil which has
overrun thousands of acres of pasture
land in Bennington and Rutland
counties belongs to the latter cate
CORY This plant, by the way. is gain
ing foothold in some of the Hill towns
of Wndham county. II il once gets
firmly established there will be
trouble ahead for the farmers.
\ comparison of this fora with pre-
yious catalogues of Vermont plants
may be of interest. Although there
were several local lists. the first com.
plete list prepared by William Cakes
of Ipswich, Mass. was published in
1872 in Thompson's History of Yer
mont. That enumerated 929 species
Eleven years later Prof. Joseph Torrey
enlarged the catalogue to 1884 species
publishing his results in the appendix
to the history of Vermont The Yer
mont agricultural reports of 1882 and
1888 contained catalogues of Vermont
plants, prepared by Prof G. II. Per
kins. The revised and completed list
of 1883 enumerated 1860 species and
varieties. This list as well as that of
1853 included the results of c. c.
Frost's work on the Towering plants of
southern Vermont.
BY referring to the number given in
the present catalogue it will be seen
that over 200 species have been added
to the plants of Vermont since 1883.
There are several reasons for this in
crease. The principal one is the more
complete exploration of the state by
the members of the Vermont Botanical
club. And, moreover. in addition to
the introduction of plants through
grass seed and by railways, plants are
coming into the state from adjacent
territory and even from far distant
parts of the country. Now il is evil
dent to the most casual observer that
the population of a township, or of any
given area, is constantly changing. If
the environment is not congenial or if
means of support are not readily fur
nished, men migrate to seek better
conditions. The same principle, in
fact, holds true in regard to plants
Although we do not often think of it
in that way, yet plants migrate as
truly as do men or any of the lower
animals. There is, however, this i'm
portant difference to be noted. Plants
have no choice in the matter Their
movement is wholly dependent on eX-
ternal agencies. Wind, water and ami
mails are considered the chief agencies
in plant migration. AS compared with
those of animals, of course plant move
ments are exceedingly slow, yet they
are clearly apparent and evidences of
them may be observed on every hand.
if we only have our eyes open to see
Now turning to the catalogue with this
idea in mind, we find that of the 1863
plants listed, 1898 undoubtedly are ma
tive VermOnters. On the other hand.
over 200 have immigrated to the state
from foreign lands since the settle
ment of Vermont, while the remaining
have come in from other states.
The publication of a new flora by
no means signifies that all is known
concerning the occurrence and distri-
button of Vermont plants. The cata-
lOgue is issued as a report of progress
and as stimulus to a better acquaint-
ance with our native plants. Additions
are being made every year and even
new plants, not hitherto described in
botanies, are being discovered. The
recent experience of Brattleboro bota-
nists with the ferns is an illustration
to the point. And, moreover, a supple
mentary list appended to the fora
enumerates many plants reported by
earlier botanists but have not been
found In late Vaars FThia chouId no o.