Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-11-13
Plant Life in Winter.

ACTIVITY in plant life in winter is not
alone confined to the cryptogamia. Dur
ing this inclement season many of our
forest trees ripen and perfect their seeds.
The frs and pines are not like The decid-
uous trees, which allow the moisture
they contain to freeze in winter. The
temperature of pine tree under the
bark never falls below the congealing
point, no matter how severe the cold
may be outside. These resinous trees
keep up kind of low tree heat as do the
bears low animal heat in freezing
weather Consequently the circulation
of sap goes on and the Immature seeds
are ripened In some localities in the
northern part of our country those ever
greens grow which bear true leaves, like
the ivy, laurel, or perhaps the holly. We
call these plants evergreens; but in fact
they change their leaves as do the decid-
uous varieties. The change is made
gradually, one leaf dropping off when
another has grown to replace it, and so
the tree is never wholly deprived of its
foliage. 1t is probable that in winter
there is considerable vegetative activity
in these evergreens, as it is impossible
that these changes can take place when
the sap is completely dormant. Sun
light and warmth are agents of tremen
dous power in connection with plant ac-
tivities. If in the depth of winter mild
day occurs, we shall find, by making in
cisions in the stem or branches of trees,
that the slumbering forces are partially
awakened and the sap is in motion.
We speak of the trees as being bare of
foliage in winter; but this is not abso-
lutely true, for trees have winter leaves
as well as summer leaves. These leaves
are less apparent, but they are no less
real or perfect. If we take from n tree
one of its buds and examine it carefully
we shall see that ii is composed of little
bunch of true leaves nicely compressed in
layers, resembling fish-scales These are
the winter leaves of trees, and every
species has them perfectly characteristic
of its kind.
This winter dress of trees is no apparel
suddenly formed or put on late in the
autumn; it is the growth of all the
spring and summer months. During the
hot season, when the sap is active, it was
diverted away from the buds by the
great demand of the expanding summer
foliage, so that their growth was slow.
They remain immature until the summer
leaves begin to fall, when the sap flows
toward the buds and they are perfected
The winter dress of trees has purpose
in the economy of plant life. The
structure in winter does not demand nu-
triton, but it must have protection, and
this .he buds afford. In them is stored
up all the beauty and glory of the vege-
tation Of the coming year, and thus they
possess an interest of the highest kind
Nature is very careful in these buds, for
it seems to understand that in them exist
latent forms of life most intimately con-
nected with the welfare of the race. In
order to protect them they are COM
pressed together tightly in the smallest
possible space and covered in under an
air-tight and water-tight roof. The outer
layer of buds is either covered by a
warm coat of fine hairs or cemented
closely with resinous or glutinous
secretion, which resists the action OF
water.-Ntch0PS FireStde Science