Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. PARTMENT \GRICULTURE AKERS! CiuAT Monday, May 6, 1940 ~ ais, oe, “WD ICE O (FOR EROADCAST USE ONLY) BOT; "OUR VANISHING WILD FLOWERS." Information from the Bureau of Plant In- ul Ve U. 8. Dp. A. ~~00000-— Some of the most beautiful things in the United States are rapidly disap- ring. Our native wild flowers are dying ovt at such an alarming rate that ens of the future may never be able to enjcy the blooms we have been taking granted all these years. Many of the flowers that visitors from all over the 1d have admired may pass from the face of the earth unless Americans do some~ ing quickly to save then. his warning comes from P. L. Ricker, plant scientist of the U. S. Depart- nt of Agriculture, and one of the leaders in the movement to protect our wild flowers Perhaps you are wondering why our wild flowers are dying out. Well, Mr. icker says our system of land development has been destroying the flowers for a i Many years. The woodsman's axe, clearing and cultivating farm lands, building P Cities, close grazing of fields and woodlands, forest fire and erosion of soil e all responsible for the loss of our wild flowers. Many of Nature's free gifts 9 this country have been disappearing together. Clearing the land as we have has destroyed our trees, our valuable soil, our birds and game, and our wild flowers Swell, Many places that were once natural flower gardens are now gullied and bare, or overgrown by unsightly weeds. | mee, Of course, picking wild flowers has had a part in destroying them, but a fe Part compared to digging up the whole plant of rare flovers and Carnying it Be to set out in the garden, as thousands of people have done and still are doing, is. } bof the transplanted wild flowers die under changed conditions. Most home ss are different from the flower's native woodland, and few home gardeners 11 the many secrets of growing wild plants. Side by eee q i i * i ards Wee Wie aro si . May 6, 1940 Beside the home gerdeners who try to transplant wild flowers many plant deal- y dig them up and offer them for sale. A number of dealers in this country and transplant in their nurseries as many as a hundred thousand wild plants These dealers won't go to the trouble of raising wild flowers themselves ale when they can get them free for the digging. Unfortunately, the rarer the plant, the more eager dealers are for it. This € case with some of our most beautiful flowers like the orchids, the lilies, fentians, and blooms of the heath family. In the far West the Pacific Coast -Plant is disappearing fast because dealers have found it sells well. They tise it as an insect catcher. This advertising along with the curious ap- st © of the plant makes it a best-seller. But the scientists say the plant is little or no help in catching flics or othor insects around the house or garden. what is more, the plant is so difficult to grow out of its native haunts that it dics. In the East another insect—catching plant is now being exploited. This is Venus Fly-Trap. The Venus Fly-Trap is still abundant in some places, but now Gealers are digging it up for sale, its daysmay be numbered. One plant company ° buys a hundred thousand of these plants a year. Of course, most of the plants Ein the East the wild flowers that are disappearing most rapidly are the vant , pink-and-white trailing arbutus, and the pink ladyslipper, These two rs have suffered most from picking and digging. In the West the Mariposa lily = fast. And so is the Sego lily--so remarka.le for its beauty that it was r State flower of Utah. Ur. Ricker and the members of the Wild Flower Preservation Society believe y way to save our wild flowers is to establish permanent wild flower sanctu- =acres set aside just for the flowers to grow and be safe from the pickers ee May 6, 1940 ars Another idea is to set aside wild life sanctuaries where neither flowers at is, nor game can be destroyed. Birds and flovers go tell together for the BF ‘tho flowers often provide favorite food for the birds. Already some sanc- s have been established. ir. Ricker says nearly every county in the United might profit from a wild life sanctuary. fF course, our National Parks, and State and National Forests already offer efuze for wild flowers and wild life. In the East the Skyline Drive and Blue Parkway with over a hundred miles of scenic beauty are fast becoming an Eastern e flower sanctuary. But nothing in the Hast equals the fields of blue—bonnets in i F ‘say, or the colorful displays of many different wild flowers in the mountain Sof California and the Rocky Mountain States. Fortunately, for the flowers, jr all Americans who enjoy flowers, some of these natural wild flower gardens tke: y to remain that way because they are too rocky for anything but grazing. Ur, Ricker finds Westerners, particularly Californians, more interested in wild 4 *s than Easterners. He says in 1933 California distributed a very attractive S with color vlates of the wild flowers of the State. The pamphlet was free, di wa great deal toward interesting people in the wild flowers. The radio -* California followed up with wild flower chats, telling people about the ney could see on different drives all over the State. As a result every @now, especially in spring, thousands of California autoists go out to see /S wonderful display of blooms. They go out to see and enjoy but not to pick the flowers, - Ricker says Soving our wild flovers is largely a matter of getting Ameri- erested--in letting them Imow whet they are losing so they will join together these gifts of nature, Fiat L Wr re Bo Ba emt, 2S