30 AUGUST 1946, Page 11

Flower Protection

The late Director of Kew, Sir Arthur Hill, set on foot an experiment to test whether bluebells were damaged by much plucking, and the results are now known. It seems that no harm whatever is done by plucking or even pulling up the bleached ends of leaves and flowers, and that the most harm is done, at the time and perhaps in after effects, by trampling. Often more flowers ' are crushed than plucked. With bluebells, as in recent experience in the intentional destruction of bracken, crushing or bruising is more effective than cutting. With regard to bulbs, they grow all the stronger for the removal of flower and seeds.