The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-02-21
'TlAe Fail of the Leaf.

I
the leaves turn red and yellow in
the fall it is because they have been
KILLED by the frost. But a little
observation will show that such is
not the case, and that the autumns
when the leaves are most beautiful
are those in which the frost is the
latest. This has been notably the
case this year. Up to this time,
the 9th of October, we have not
had the slightest frost. All the
most tender budding plants are
still fiourishing IN the open air, yet
the naples with crowns of golds
crimson and green, are beautiful,
and even the horse -chestnuts, whose
leaves are generally killed by the
early frosts, are trying to vie with
their more brilliant neighbors.
A severe frost kills the leaves at
once, and they soon fill, brown
and withered. To be brilliant they
must npen naturally, and our hot
September and October midday
suns have probably much to do
with it; as in England, where the
falls are apt to be dampand cloudy,
the leaves are not SO bright, and
American artists, who strive to
paint our naples and dogwoods as
they see them, are unjustly accused
ofover.coloring.
The leaves tall because they are
ripe and have performed the service
that was allotted them. The leaf
is the laboratory of the plant, and
lin it are performed most Of the
operations essential to its growth.
1t takes the crude materials gath
cred by the roots, refines them, re-
'jecting all that is not essential TO
the plant, and out OF the remainder
constructs the highly complex
bodies that are found in other parts
of the plant. These rejected parts
consist mainly Of earthly matter that
was in solution in the water taken
up by the roots, and it is deposited
in the cells of the leaf. This is
shown by the fact that the leaf con
tains far more ash than any other
part Of TIE plant. In some plants
the ash of the leaf amourts to over
90 per cent, while that of the
wood rarely exceeds two or three.
When the cells become completely
clogged up with this matter, the
leaf can no longer perform its func-
tions, and 50 ripens and falls of.
Provision has already been made.
for this separation. If the foot
stalks Of most leaves be examined.
it will be found that a kind ofioint
exists near the body of the plant,
even when the leaf is quite young;
as it grows older this joint becomes
more marked, apd finally when it
is ripe gentle breeze will shake it
off, and no wound is left, nothing
but the scar; the wound has healed /.
even before II was made. Tile
same is also true Of fruits, ,whichby
botanists are regarded as nothing
but developed leaves; joint may
be found in the stem, at
which itseparates readily. Thisis
very marked in the grape; it is
situated at q little swelling that, IS
to be found on the stem. A slight
bend will separate the stem at this
point, while il takes d strong pull
to sever ii above or below. Even
on The evergreen u | ttrees, which ap-
pareptly never she'd Their haxsS
the leaf exists at.. tie most but s1S
Or three year, when they are ii
placed BY 6ew ohsf, tile 0Ad falling
away as they become unfit ST
aotive duty; bat The lsaSeEfT til
case beng shea ininOssiy ST W
spring, we do not miss tRarn. Rse
49, T,..s...y,1 Sr f1k..atr. 49, s