The principle of the conservation of wild flowers may be
illustrated froin modern gardening. The most notable change in the art and practice of gardening of late years has been the freer use of seeds. I do not mean that herbaceous plants or bulbs are going out of fashion—far from it ; but all manner of amateur gardeners are discovering that seeds provide the simplest and best and cheapest means for multi- plying ' stock, even bulbs and herbaceous plants. For ex. ample, the grape hyacinth (of which the light-blue variety in one of the spring treasures) grow most readily from seed, as will delphiniums. Primroses and primulas, too, are best increased by seed. Similarly the majority of wild flowers trust chiefly to seed to multiply and renew themselves. They are like, one may say, oaks and unlike elms in this respect. It is only less important to let the wild flowers seed than to let the birds hatch their eggs.
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