Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-11-06

tation from Norway, Siberia and all
high northern attitudes has q very
dark green color. The reason of
this is because the sun shines almost
day and night for months in this far
north, and the suns rays form in
the plants or leaves a dark green
substance called chlorophyll, which
gives the leaves their green color
A potato stalk grown in the cellar is
almost white because the suns rays
are excluded from it. So all plants
grown out of the sunlight have a
light color. Again, those far north
mountain trees where the soil is
rocky aud scarce for firm roofing
have fine small leaves and grow
high. If the leaves were large the
strong winds would blow them
down and thus destroy the tree. In
short a plant or tree is always won.
derfully adapted to the country in
which it lives. 1t is the law Of the
survival of the fttest.
rne use the plant makes Of a leaf
is very interesting. y leaf is a mod
flied branch, SO changed Us to suit
the purpose and design of the plant.
Leaves serve in digestion and respi-
ration They are the stomach aud
lungs of the plant A good exam
pie of a plant with a stomach Is the
Nenus-Fly-trap whose leaves will eat
neat. Or the far famed Pitcher
plant of Java. This last is a plant
some four feet high. The leaves be-
gin to branch out at the bottom of
lhe stalk and grow five inches long,
and on the end of this leaf tendril
grows out some five inches long. On
the end of this tendril is perfectly
formed pitcher with an exactly fit
ting lid. The pitcher will hold
about two tablespoonfuls of water
In rainy weather the lid opens up
and after the rain it closes down,
thus keeping the water from evapo-
rating. 1t has percoptible stomach
which bridges il over perilous times
of drouth and famine, as the extra
folds In a camel's stomach carries an
extra water supply for the illusiye
mirage of sandy deserts. The
breathing of carbolic acid gas by
caves, which is poisonous to animal
life, makes the earth habitable.
That is, the carbon is used in the
growth Of the plant and the oxygen
is given off again to the air for ami.
mails to breath.
mus we can see that spiues, ten.
drills, branches and pitchers are mod
flied leaves. A casual wandering
through the garden shows the plants
and small trees which must be
housed in winter SCI out in oval
shaped pieces Of ground with the
tallest in the center. They are
planted in large tubs and can be
moved. Here group from east
Asia with It's rank smell, yonder a
still ranker group with ranker smell
from the East Indies In short each
group gives forth its own peculiar
odor, the result of the evaporation
Of its growing product.
Here group of cactuses, some of
them ten feet high, whose branches
are thick leaves. Some big like
pumpkins. This kind Of vegetation
can live in long, dry, hot summers
as in Arizona and Mexico. Yonder
a magnificent oval Of century plants
whose thick leaves serve to store up
food. (One has Just blossomed. IT.
sent up Il long central stalk eight
feet high, and for foot along the
top were clustered about 100 berries
the size Of goosberries. Its name
implies that it blossoms once in a
100 years. Many medical plants
are represented az digitalis or fox
glove, belladonn, etc. The most at
tactive parts are the palms and the
palm house. Some Of the open air
palms will have or 10 leave each
I feet long and feet wide in the
center. The palm house is made Of
iron and glass. 1t is 100 feet long
and So feet wide and some 40 feet
high, filed with palms from all hot
climates in the world. IL is kept at
almost blood heat day and night SO
as TO keep the palms alive. Here
can be seen vegetation in its largest
size and most magnificent form. The
rankest of the rank. The mere des-
cription Of tho size Of hot tropical
vegetation sounds incredible 70 a.
northerner Here is the cocos re
dexa from Brazil, 90 feet high with
out the trace of a limb and g inches
thick. 1t has reached the top Of the
palm house and begins to "refex."
The Sabal palm from Hayti and
Cuba has the petiole or stalks Of the
leaves 8 feet long, all start from the
ground, and on the end is leaf 5
feet long and feet broad with SER
rations on its edges 30 inches deep.
Vba Raua hoo from Iova tuitf o,rnu,