The Opelousas courier., 1903-01-10
EXTINCTION OF WILD FLOWERS,
In Gathering Buds The Stems Should Be
Cut and Not Broken Off.

In Gathering Studs the Stems Should BID
Cut and Not Eroken OFF.
1t seems that it is high time persons
OF influence exerted themselves to
save the wild flower, even as it has
been necessary to check the slaughter
or birds, for eating, or to secure theil
plumage for hat trimmings. Somehow
there seems to reside in careless minds
a conviction that because a flower il
wild it is bound to grow whether one
wants 1t to do SO or not; while in
very careless minds there is present a
deplorable sentiment to the effect that
1t is not a matter to be given a sec
ond thought if flowers do stop grow.
ing altogether in woods and fields.
SO, after summing up all the phases
OF the situation, numerous public spir-
tied people got together and formed
of Society for the Protection of Ma
tive Plants. As a means of carrying
on its work the society proposes to
publish brief articles or leaflets for
distribution to teachers in our schools.
to village improvement societies, and
to all persons willing to make effec-
tive use OF them. Dwellers in cities
clap their HANDS and rejoice when
street stands laden with arbutus an
nounce the official coming of spring.
and feel quite as strong emotions OF
JOY when at Christmas time the streets
smell like the heart of the Maine pine
woods. But these joys have meant, it
now turns out, a ruthless robbing OF
the country to thus add to the city's at
fractions. Now, though it is not to be
stopped it is to be regulated, or at
least an attempt is to be made to do
this. In Connecticut laws have been
passed looking to the preservation and
protection of the Hartford trailing fern
and the Mayfower, two plants which
are much sought and which wholesale
collecting threatens to exterminate, st
least locally.
Although those who gather flowers
for market do the most damage, ii
may not do a bit of harm if a few
hints on the subject fall under the
eyes of summer ~boarders" and So
journers in all country places. To this
end there follow extracts from the
society's leaflet number one:
THE first principle that should be
urged is, that in collecting, the flow
er Or branch should be cut, not torn
off, which so often needlessly pulls up
the root or mutilates the shrub OF
tree, thus completely or partially pre-
venting further growth.
do not pick all that may be found.
for flowers must be left to develop
seeds for future generations Of plants.
and always cut them, never pull Ut
the plants, for the roots are of no use
in a bunch of flowers, and their de-
.struction means the total extinction OF
SO many individuals.
while some plants need every pro-
lection that thoughtful people can give
them, others from their abundance OF
other qualities may be picked freely.
and are practically safe from the great
est inroads of even the collector OF
cut flowers for sale. Wild irises, asters.
SOlQGLTOQ are SO dUuuuduI, pIOpa5dIe
SO readily, and are so widely d%istribut-
ed that their relative reduction by col
lecting need hardly be considered
Moreover, in these cases the roots are
not pulled up, yer if the flowers are
carelessly picked, SO that the plants
seem able to resist any conceivable
amount of picking for sale or other
wise.
"violets excepting the crowfoot vio-
lett, marsh marigolds or cowslips and
Houstonais are SO abundant that nc
harm, it seems, can come from thei1
indiscriminate picking. Field daisies,
or Whiteweed and buttercups, while
not Dative flowers, occur in abundance
about cultivated areas. They are
charming, and their collection in the
most wholesale way is a virtue as wei!
a pleasure, as tending to check the
spread of these introduced plants
Transcript.