Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreaders at fadedpage.net THE CALL OF THE WILDFLOWER _BY THE SAME AUTHOR_ SEVENTY YEARS AMONG SAVAGES. 12s. 6d. THE FLOGGING CRAZE. A Statement of the Case against Corporal Punishment. With Foreword by Sir George Greenwood. 3s. 6d. net. GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD. ON CAMBRIAN AND CUMBRIAN HILLS. Pilgrimages to Snowdon and Scafell. Revised Edition. 5s. net. C. W. DANIEL LTD. ANIMALS' RIGHTS: Considered in relation to Social Progress. Revised Edition. 2s. 6d. DE QUINCEY. Great Writers Series. 1s. 6d. net. G. BELL & SONS LTD. THE LIFE OF HENRY D. THOREAU. 1s. 6d. net. WALTER SCOTT PUBLISHING CO. RICHARD JEFFERIES: His Life and his Ideals. 1s. 6d. net. JONATHAN CAPE. THE LIFE OF JAMES THOMSON, B.V. 2s. 6d. net. TREASURES OF LUCRETIUS. Selected Passages translated into English Verse. 1s. 6d. net. WATTS & CO. [Illustration: _G. P. Abraham & Sons._] [_Photo. Keswick_ THE HAUNT OF THE SPIDERWORT The Devil's Kitchen, Carnarvonshire] THE CALL OF THE WILDFLOWER BY HENRY S. SALT [Illustration] LONDON: GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD RUSKIN HOUSE, 40 MUSEUM STREET, W.C. _First published in 1922_ (_All rights reserved_) TO MY FRIENDS W. J. JUPP and E. BERTRAM LLOYD NOTE I am indebted to the courtesy of the editors of the _Daily News_, _Pall Mall Gazette_, _Liverpool Daily Post_, and _Sussex Daily News_, for permission to reprint in this book the substance of articles that first appeared in their columns. My obligation to Jack London, in regard to the choice of a title, will be apparent. CONTENTS PAGE I. THE CALL OF THE WILDFLOWER 9 II. ON SUSSEX SHINGLES 21 III. BY DITCH AND DIKE 29 IV. LIKENESSES THAT BAFFLE 37 V. BOTANESQUE 43 VI. THE OPEN DOWNLAND 50 VII. PRISONERS OF THE PARTERRE 58 VIII. PICKING AND STEALING 63 IX. ROUND A SURREY CHALK-PIT 68 X. A SANDY COMMON 77 XI. QUAINTNESS IN FLOWERS 85 XII. HERTFORDSHIRE CORNFIELDS 90 XIII. THE SOWER OF TARES 97 XIV. DALES OF DERBYSHIRE 103 XV. NO THOROUGHFARE! 113 XVI. LIMESTONE COASTS AND CLIFFS 121