The Farmers Club in 1850's Concord, thought retention of people through education was the way to keep people from leaving for the city or out west. Thoreau wasn't part of the club, but they asked him where to get wildflowers when they wanted to decorate the town and how to rehabilitate forests who were damaged. I was reading in the Times that American cities are losing people these days and I think the city needs to do some to keep people in the city. They have planted a lot of trees, which delights me.
They noticed that pine forest changed to Oak, squirrels burying acorns had an oak tree just waiting for a pine tree to fall down. The subject now is called plant succession, another subject Thoreau was a pioneer of.
Speaking of environmentalism, I think there is a lifestyle paradox. If you really like nature, you spread out into the sprawling suburbs instead of living in the city, which might be the most environmental thing you could do, using public transport, and living in buildings instead of heating a house that just bleeds heat. So if you love nature, come live in NYC!
It does bring up the point that some subjects aren't in books, and you have to go it alone. People without education will always point this out, but people who read books know it too.
The amazing knowledge that Thoreau had was that he could even say what day of the month it was by which flowers were blooming.
In 1954 he had this photo taken for 16 cents, according to Walls. I think now I might have gotten that wrong, I was misreading Walls. The national portrait gallery puts it at 1956 and for 50 cents, perhaps the case that came with it:
Maybe it was 1856 because what comes next is the capturing of the pigs, which is August 8th 185.
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