The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-02
SAVE THE WILDFLOWERS.
Florists Who Help Along the Process
of determination.

To THE NEW YORK HERALD: Permit
me to thank you for your timely edi-
torial article regarding the duty of con-
serving those that still remain of the
beautiful American wildfowers. 1t has
|, often been in my mind to write to you
on the subject; but experience has so
convinced me of the futility of protesting
against any vandalism that large sec
lions Of the population find it pleasant
to commit that ! forbore. Your article
however, emboldens me to make a sug-
gestion regarding one particular form
of outrage on which. 1 think, you did
not touch.
refer to the gathering in quantities
and exposing for sale in the florists
shops of the more beautiful, striking. or
snowy of the wildfowers. This does
more harm and tends more to the ex-
termination of whole genera of our
noblest flowers than several Sundays
haphazard work of amateur ravishers
Once these beautiful wild things. which
God made to deck His waste places and
delight those Of His children who have
eyes to see and hearts to understand
come to have n monetary value in the
eyes of the professional dealer their
days are numbered
! am not speaking at random. My
lawful occasions carry me day by day
along a large stretch of Sixth and
Ninth avenues, and not only have l seen
florists windows at certain seasons
filed with such merchandise. but again
and again on my morning journey l
have seen their emissaries arriving with
their spoils from their nights or early
mornings looting of the Jersey woods
and fields. have no doubt Long Island
suffers equally. but 1 speak only Of
what I know.
/ will be more explicit still and add
to your list OF imperilled species some
that l have seen. and continue to see,
exposed for sale. to the robbery and
detriment of the general public and the
ultimate inevitable extinction of the ia
tally beautiful flowers: The lovely and
characteristic wild yellow lily Uilium
canadense) : the comparatively rare
grounsel tree (Baccharis halmifolia) /;
boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum). with
its snowy clusters and strikingly CORFU
gated leaves the splendid butterfly weed
tAsclepias tuberosa) and might
uOuDle Lns ISL bul lHtSc Siiuuiu Sulltts
And the remedy? Let the right mind
ed public-until that happy day
when the State will make 1t n punish
able offence to gather or possess wild
flowers in quantlty-refuse absolutely to
buy them. once they lose their money
value they lose their desirability in the
eyes OF the gentry who now purvey
them
Lust of gain. that has all but rem
dercd extinct so many noble and beauti-
fsl animals and birds-the American BIZ
son. beaver, white egret, &c.--will as GER
tainly be fatal to the American wild
flowers. unless we make 1t patriotic
duty to protect them.
Fur! Feathers Flowers Is there
something fatal about that initial F, that
renders them all objects to be exploited
tor gains sake, to the unreasonable i'm
povershment of the land that bears
them and of it's unborn citizens?
Let every real. loyal hearted Ameri-
can, when he sees the flowers OF the
fields his fathers knew so exploited, say
i won't buy!'
Don't buy! Don't buy Don't buy
That is the only way to stop the sordid
crime AGREsTls.
NEW YonR, October /.