h into Mexico and northern India.
Six species occur in the northern United States and Canada, east of the
Rocky Mountains, all of these being found in Minnesota, and about a
dozen species occur on this continent. They are perennial herbs, with
irregular flowers, which grow singly or in small clusters, the colors of
some of which are strikingly beautiful. The species adopted by the women
of the State of Minnesota is the _Cypripedium Spectabile_, or the showy
lady slipper.

The ladies naturally desired that their choice should be ratified by the
state legislature, and one of their number prepared a report of their
doings, in a petition to that body, asking its approval. Whoever drew
the petition named the flower chosen by the ladies as "_Cypripedium
Calceolous_," a species which does not grow in Minnesota, but is purely
of European production. The petition was presented to the senate on the
fourth day of February, 1893. The journal of the senate shows the
following record, which is found on page 167:

"Mr. Dean asked the unanimous consent to present a petition from
the Women's Auxiliary to the World's Fair, relative to the
adoption of a state flower and emblem, which was read.

"Mr. Dean offered the following concurrent resolution, and moved
its adoption:

"'Be it resolved by the senate, the house of representatives
concurring, that the wild Lady Slipper, or Moccasin Flower
('_Cypripedium Calceolous_'), be, and the same is hereby,
designated and adopted as the state flower or emblem of the
State of Minnesota,' which was adopted."

In the Legislative Manual of 1893 appears, on page 606, the following:

"THE STATE FLOWER.

"On April 4, 1893 [should be February], a petition from the
Women's Auxiliary to the World's Fair was presented to the
senate, relative to the adoption of a state flower. By
resolution of the senate, concurred in by the house (?), the
Wild Lady Slipper, or Moccasin Flower (_Cypripedium_) was
designated as the state flower or floral emblem of the State of
Minnesota."

The word "_Calceolous_" means a little shoe or slipper; but, as I said
before, the species so designated in botany is not indigenous to
Minnesota, and is purely a foreigner. As we have in the course of our
growth assimilated so many foreigners successfully, we will have no
trouble in swallowing this small shoe, especially as the house did not
concur in the reso