Evening star., 1924-03-18

Much of the natural beauty of the
woodlands surrounding Washington is
being destroyed by the picking of wild
flowers Edgar. Wherry, president Of the
Wild Flowers Preservation Society of
America, told the students at Sidwells'
Friends School yesterday. The dogwood
and red bud, he said, whose very beauty
threaten their existence, are in especial
danger of determination by careless
persons who strip trees Of their flower
ing branches. Other plants which Mr..
Wherry said should be picked very
sparingly, If at all, are: Jack-in-the-
pulpit, the yellow and pink slipper
orchids, the columbine, the lupine, the
bluebell, the blue phIox. the spiral
orchids, the gentianS, the baby b.ue-
eyes and the bird-feed or pansy violet.
Mr.. Wherry deplored the habit of break
ing on leaves and pulling up plants by
stroying all possibility of having these
same plants another year.
Macy May BE Picked.
On the other hand, Mr.. Wherry said,
there are many flowers which may be
picked freely Crowded the leaves
and roots are left growing), and
among such plants were mentioned the
star of Bethlehem, spring beauty,
starry chickweed, wild strawberry,
ground ivy, bluets, most members of
the daisy family. including ragwort,
asters, yellow daisies and black eyed
Susan, most members of the violet
goldenrod family, the skunk cabbage.
hepatica, blood-root, trillium or wake
robin, flags or wild iris. shoot
ing star, wild geranium, milk weed,
wild ginger, wild .marsh-ma1low, the
ro1ghs suggested should be called
the trout-lily, because it really be-
longs to the lily family and has
trout-like markings on the petals,
and the violet-iris so called because
it has the fragrance of violets, while
really belonging to the iris family.
Other interesting plants. such as
the fragrant sumach, bear brilliant
red berries, which may be picked.
and there are many ferns which have
ing fern, which often reaches a
height of three feet; the .maidenhair
fern, the rock-fern and the Cliff
brake. beautiful specimens Of which
| may be seen growing out of the NOR
tar in the stone wall surrounding
Georgetown University.
Cultivation IL Urged.
Mr.. Wherry stated that much could
wild flowers by cultivating them in
gardens or in pots. Arbutus, which
for many years was thought to be
impossible to transplant, can be cul-
| tivated by planting the seeds In q
pot The azalea and laurel, both OF
which can be cultivated If attention
| is given to the kind of soil in which
they are grown. have been raised
successfully in the garden Of MI.
Roger of the Department of Agrt-
! culture at Cherry Grove. near Balti-
more. Mr.. Wherry emphasized the
fact that such plants require an acid
| soil and by means Of simple chemical
tests the quality of soil may be de-
| termined.
Rottfng wood and brown oak leaves
are needed to cover the roots of such
. plants, which will repay such care
| a hundredfold. In fact, Thoreau dis
covered that the New England snow
berry was called by the Indians a
| name which is translated to mean
| iGroWs-where-tr e-trees-have-rotted.
Wild plants which Mr. Wherry has
grown successfully lin his own gar
I defl at Chevy Chase include the
| nossy phlox, the swamp pink. wake
| 'obins, goat's-beard, sand myrtle.
pitcher plants, grass Of Parnassus.
bluebelis and passion flowers, of