The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-04-25
OF
MAYFLOWERS
Number Becoming Less Each
Year, as Are Field
Strawberries
REASON NOT ONE
COMMONLY GIVEN
Explanation by DR.. George E. Stone
and Prof. Z. Vincent Osmun of Am
herst Agricultural Co1ege-Hin Pas
ture Lands Run Out.

herst Agricultural College-Hin Pas
ture Lands Run Out.
The first of the season s Mayfowers, H
or trailing arbutus, have been picked
in Brattleboro, and the supply viii in
crease from now until the early part
| Of May, but many residents of this
town and surrounding territory have
noticed for several years an increasing
scarcity of this oid-fashioned flower
which a generation ago bloss0med 50 /
profuscIy. The same conditions have I
been noticed also in other parts of !
New England, and the question OF /
what has been the cause NATURALLY /
arises
Ruthlessly torn up by the roots and
carried away to be 4 moment 5 orua-
ment for the person or home or myr-
lads of people who for years, every
pleasant Sunday and holiday, have
locked TO the haunts OF this most
fragrant and beautiful New England
flower, is the answer commonly given
Its rapid disappearance has been the
subject of many published letters of
regret from It's admirers. Numerous
societies have sprung up to protect it
p and other wild flowers from such wan
of the education OF school children In
t gathering delicate flowers to cut them
off with a sharp knife instead of tear
! ing them away, and thereby mjuriug
I the roots.
n This is all good; nevertheless. one
$ tolerahly familiar with the prevalence
G of the arhutus p years ago cannot
i easily believe that its disappearance
+ has been due to the gathcrers of the
Il flowers. This loss, great as it has been
S i'm many localities. has been compare
T. lively nothing in proportion To the to-
Il tai loss. This opinion is supported by
Il the botanical department Of the Mas
g Isachasetts agricultural college.
It Dr. George T. Stone. in a recently
published list of the Plants Growing
II Without Cultivation in Franklin.
e Hampshire aud Hampden Counties,
Is Massachusetts, states that There are
I many factors which play an important
10 part in the distribution Of plants of
x which we know little. and the prob
/ lens involved are difficult Of solution
T. Variation in the humus content i'm
e. the soil moisture or light intensity
Pr may completely eXterminate a species
4 in given Iocalitv.' For instance, he
sa states 1.-The hemlock has declined from
m a tree second in Importance in tile
!, primitive forests to one of slight i'm
a. portanee a+ the present ti,re In O.
he Ion;aI times +ba ,-iI3 s+rayvbar,z- wa.
'd quite abundant I'M Massachusetts, auc
eyen less +Lan =. century no, # wa.
le fairly ,.Ia,+if.,1 I,r+ ~ ,,rssg9t l. is I'd
1o mo- r[o1omi[ yaIuc seTeeeI- in onr west
e- a,-p territory =
M wit IN. l+ona sa,.s z,-iti, ,osnae4 =.
re +h, ,-ild s+ra[,.i,crr[- IN Mass. oI,,,satt.
h. =. oo,,,tI,- a,.1l;..aI,Is ~ vcr,,o,,t W.,
he tniddIc.a@eG Inaor.Ia were chiidren. vii,
eff strar..harr;cs yvarn plentiful In asnec
or iii fa,-ara3 1oco1i+ies in oln,oe4 ,,-,,-
no5.r}I.artooI aud -, +Ee MN
so,,Tno ~ tLs f,n,i,ios, s,,r,T,- of +Ea
fr-if }.,,+ ,,lr,, +ha,r arc ,,ra ct;.a1I,- III
@nne IF Iy-b;+t;,,. .,-ara +o.Iaz- with,
he NJ - n,