Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-06-10
NATURES WORKSHOP.

IL you were 10 90 out on one OF these
early spring days into a forest you
would see that great work was going
on there. though you could not hear a
sound save. perhaps, the rustic of a
breeze among the branches. nor see
any thing in motion except it might be
waving bough or iluttering leaf.
But you would note that great and
rapid change was coming over the
scene before you. Where, but a few
weeks ago, the trees and shrubs and
the ground beneath were alike bare
and brown, you would observe indica-
tons of returning life and beauty. You
would see on some trees and plants the
red buds just starting, upon others the
leaves half unfolded, and on the ground
the blades of wild grass and the stalks
of flowers pushing their way out of the
layer of mold. 1t is evidently one of
the busiest places that could possibly
be imagined, and yet one of the most
quiet. There is no jar and whir of
wheels. no hum of spindles and thud
OF looms, no grating sounds of files or
saws. or hammers, and yet the most
wonderful works of architecture are
going up, the most curious patterns
are being woven, and the most intri-
cate pieces of workmanship are being
put together.
If our sight could penetrate the bod
les of the trees we could gain some
knowledge of natures ways of work
ing. We would see ascending through
the most minute tubes, drawn up by
some invisible power, countless num-
Der of streams of q sweet watery SUBJ
stance called sap. This sap is COM
posed principally of water drawn out
OF the earth by the roots of the trees
and carrying with it certain substances
which help to make the buds, leaves,
flowers and the green, new wood. The
sap may be properly called the life
blood of plants, since its office is very
much the same in plants as that of the
blood in man and other animals, carry
ing the DEMONSTRATING properties to
every part of the body. Like man and
brutes, plants must have light and air
in order to live. The sap itself would
not sustain the life of the plant, if it
were not for the help it receives
from the sunshine and the surrounding
atmosphere, any more than the blood
i'll an animal would keep it alive aud
vigorous if it were placed ia a dark,
alright room. Every plant has lungs,
or organs which answer the purpose of
lungs in drawing air into its body
Every leaf OF a plant has a countless
number of little openings, OF mouths,
TO small that you can only see them
with a microscope Through these
mouths plants inhale various proper
ties. of which the air is full, especially
the gases they need to make them live.
Through them they also send out the
air and gases from which they have
taken all they require, and which have
become impure and unfit to breathe.
The sap which has come up from the
roots into the leaves then meets with
the air, and together they make won
derful combinations of new material,
which the sap carries back in its return
journey to help build up other parts of
the plant.
We may imagine that the particles of
sap are little servants or workmen
whom Nature employs to build up the
trees and shrubs and weave the tex
ture of their leaves and flowers. just
follow, in imagination. one of these
little workmen who are carrying up
the materials to build the plants in
some such way as you have seen other
workmen carry the bricks and mortar
to build the walls of a house. This
little burde!l-bearer gets his load of
carbon and some other substances that
are called for down in the dark ground,
where Nature keeps her choicest stores,
and then he goes quickly up the long
winding Stairways in the interior Of the
tree, up and UP, leaving a little here
and little there, rs he goes to the top
most branch, and cut into the little
tender twig. where he leaves his load
TO help swell the bud and open the
leaf.
And one of the strangest things
about this business is that these work
men never make mistake. Here are
growing in a small space great vari-
ETY. of trees and smaller plants of diff
ferent general shape and texture. with
different shaped leaves and flowers.
and bearing different kinds of fruit yet
all drawing their life from the same
ground The sweet violet and the
poison ivy nestle ut the foot of the
oak. and obtain rneir supplies of nour-
ishment from the same soil THAI sus-
tains their giant protector. The little
workmen select from the same great
store-house the material that is needed
for each plant where they are appoint
ed to work. They never make such
blunder as to carry way up to the top
most twig of that maple particle that
was intended to help form a birch
tree: and as for carrying up bit Of
poison. intended for the laurel, into the
innocent petals of the azalea, such a
thing is really impossible. We may
trust these workmen always, for they
never are disobedient to the great
Architect of nature, under whose direc-
ton they are employed.
And what an innumerable multitude
of these little joiners and masons. paint
ers and master-builders. are at work in
the forest to-day putting together all
this wonderful architecture. these
massive columns. these graceful arches,
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