Evening star., 1925-05-14
Saving Plants Among Wildflowers
BY LYDIA LIE BARON WALKER.

When one lives in. the country
where the ground is literally strewn
with blossoms as common as they
are beautiful, familiarity with them
may go part if not all the way
toward bringing about a little of that
contempt which is proverbial, or it
may be responsible for a great love
of beautiful blossoms. Flowers are
the usual thing in many localities.
One need only live in city TO realize
not merely their beautiful values, but
also the intrinsic worth of flowers and
share the feeling of that man who
wrote:
If thou of fortune be bereft
And find thou hast but two loaves
left,
Sell one and with the dole
Buy hyacinths TO feed thy soul.
Think how doubly 'bereft'' the man
would be were there no "hyacinths
to be bought. In other words, con-
slider the loss TO our lands there would
be If flowers were altogether uprooted
from the soil. To some it may seem
amazing that such a thing is so near
becoming a possibility that the Gov
ernment has asked that something be
done to preserve and increase the
quantity of our wild flowers, which
All Flower Lovers.
The reason of such possible con-
dition is one which concerns every
one who loves and who picks wild
flowers. This would seem to touch
most of US who have leisure in the
country. 1t may be our misfortune
rather than our fault that many of
us do not know how to pick wild flow
WnO
have the inclination can succeed in
seVering blossoms from their conneC-
ton with mother earth. The trouble
is that we are likely TO sever it too
completely. What you do is not TO
gather flowers merely, but to uproot
entire plants as well.
Very often it requires a certain
amount of care to pick flowers with
out pulling up the roots. Frequently,
also, one is not aware of doing it
But so much has this been practiced
that certain of our fairest plants can
not long survive the death rate which
such careless picking causes. One
specific instance is in the case of that
beautiful and delicate plant, called the
Mayf1ower, of trailing arbutus, which
unless one 10 careful, yields it's entire
plant to the eager hands that seek
and find it. The use of scissors or
knife in picking would have meant
that this plant would not be fast dis
appearing, as now it is.
In the Home.
Flowers in the home are considered
by many housewives an artistic eS-
Sential, and there is no need nor cause
TO diminish the use of wild flowers in
our homes for decoration. But 1t
would be a selfish age that cared SO
little for the next generation that it
let it's carelessness deprive others of
something beautiful. Perhaps you
are wondering If there is not some
way to retrieve the damage already
done. To wish to do so is showing a
most generous impulse. 1t is certain
that many readers of this department
are large hearted enough to put into
practice the ways of helping that have
been found effective. Here is one that
the Government SponSors-the scat
tering of seeds.
A Way to Help.
Those who scatter seeds of flowers
when walking or riding along our
rural highways are doing a real serv-
ice. 1t also is one way of keeping the
children amused and of teaching them
the right way of caring for flowers.
Give them as large or small guam
tity of seeds as is convenient. Tell
them to scatter them, several at
time, or a handful, when they come
to a place that doesn't seem to have
many flowers.
To pick flowers that have any ten