The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-05-24
How Plants are PROTECTED.


children included. are easily destroyed |
by cold, exposure, or the attacks of enc
mics. They are tender and likely to be |
injured by cold, heat, and violent winds. |
The condition Of all plants during the |
period that may be denominated their |
childhood Is very precarious. A COM |
paratively low degree of heat is likely to |
chill them to such an extent that they |
will not grow afterward. A high de- |
gree of heat will scald them, or cause |
them to wither and die. A large amount
of rain will destroy them by process
similar to that of drowning. A want of |
moisture continued for some time will |
cause them to dry up. Being tender
and often of a sweetish taste, they fur
nish desirable food for animals and
birds. Many plants that are tough and
astringent or bitter when they are ma
ture or of considerable size furnish very
desirable food when they are quite
young. This is the case with many
trees and with quite number of weeds
that are never eaten by either animals
or birds when they mature. Young
plants furnish the principal food of birds
before fruits ripen, seeds mature, and
insects become plenty. Animals and
birds are the natural enemies of plants
in all stages of their growth. While the
mercy of the former. OF course beasts
and birds have no hatred for plants;
they destroy them because they want
| them to eat. Insects, too, are the enc
mics of plants, and generally prefer
them when they are in the early stages
of their growth. 1t is by no means
marvellous that so large proportion of
plants perish in childhood. The wonder
is that so many survive the period of in
fancy. They are extremely fragile, and
little pains is generally taken to afford
them protection.
The older plants become the greater
| Is their ability to protect themselves
| from the destroying influences of the
climate and the attacks of animals,
birds, and insects. They become hard
and tough, so that they can resist the
force of the winds. Their roots extend
| q considerable distance into the earth,
| so that they can obtain moisture from
| the subson il there is deficiency on the
| surface of the earth. Theirtopmostl leaves
cast shade that is advantageous to the
lower portions of the plants as well as
to the soil that supports them. Trees
soon become so tall that few animals
can reach their branches to iniure them.
Their leaves can no longer be obtained
for food. Smaller plants become hard
| injured by the wind or by the extreme
changes in the temperature. The cell
ular tissue of which they are composed
when young becomes woody tissue. The
taste of many plants, both large and
small, gradually becomes astriRgent,
bitter, or otherwise disagreeable as they
become old or acquire quite a large
| growth. The plants may constitute
healthy food, but they will not be eaten
by any kind of animals on account of
their unpleasant taste. Many useless
plants, or rather plants for which no
use has been found, increase very fast
and come to occupy large amount of
ground for the reason that no animal,
bird, or insect will eat them. Many of
our most noxious weeds multiply very
rapidly for this reason. Vines protect
themselves, as some animals do, by
climbing trees and thus keeping them
selves out of the way of their enemies.
The portions near the ground become
hard, so they will not be eaten, while
the tender parts are SO high that ami
mails can not reach them. The trees
support them, so they are not trampled
by the feet of animals. Some vines pro-
tect themselves by .clinging to the side
of trees that are sheltered from the sun
and wind.
As trees become larger and old their
bark thickens and hardens so that it
forms an excellent protection not only
against all atmospheric agencies but
against attacks of animals, birds and
insects. The bark of most trees is q
very poor conductor of heat. 1t accord
ingly acts to keep the body of the tree
warm in winter and cool in summer.
The bark of some trees, as the birches,
is impervious to water. The bark of
evergreen trees, when young, is supplied
with rosin, which enables it to shed rain.
After it becomes old it is very thick and
able to resist both rain cold. The bark
of most trees growing in the tropics is
so thick and porous that it protects the
tree from the heat of the burning sun.
The cork-oak and most of the palms
furnish good examples of this sort of
protection. The thick outer bark also
protects the inner bark from mechani-
cal injuries. The latter generally furn-
ishes very desirable food, and would be
eaten If it was not protected. Vines,
bushes and smaller plants are also pro-
tected by their bark. In some cases
moss and other sorts of parasitic plants
afford protection to trees and vines,
Several kinds of trees and shrubs are
armed with spines or thorns that offer q
formidable defense against their would
be-enemies. Nearly all the trees and
shrubs employed for making hedges are
provided with thorns, and their presence
suggests their use. Thorns on hedge
plants first led to the use of barbs on
fence-wire. 1t seems singular that some
speculator did not procure patent on
thorn-bush. Many plants, like the
nettle, are provided with stings which
protect them againts the attacks of ami
mails that have been once injured by
them. Others are kept from being de-
voured by the disagreeable ordor they
give off. In short plants have as many
means of defense as animals have
Chicago Times.