The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-06-19
A TALK ABOUT SEEDS.
Some of the Peculiar Ways In Which They
Are Distributed.

cohc VI tuc IoCuh6T vvayB III w HUH Xhey
Are Distributed.
Master George was lolling in the
hammock; not that he was lazy, or had
nothing to do, but because the day was
so warm and the shade so inviting. He
was dreamily watching the play of
light among the leaves overhead, and
the shifting banks of clouds, feecy and
crimson-tinged, way off against the
horizon. The leaves rustled softly; the
birds sang sweetly in the bushes;
butterfly went by on gaudy wings;
bee followed with its thighs yellow
with pollen; sheep was bleating in
the pastures.
Suddenly he sat bolt upright, his Ian
guor gone in flash. which was the re-
suit Of very simple incident. A dan
delion seed floated across the hammock
and then descended like miniature
balloon on the tip Of his nose.
He picked of the seed and carefully
examined it. He had blown dandelion
seeds many a time from their feathery
ball, but had never examined their
structure. He noticed that the seed
had little stem, upon the end OF which
stood out number OF small fbers,
which caught the wind and enabled 1t
to 60 great distance. From thinking
OF the dandelion seed he began to think
about other seeds, his curiosity very
much awakened.
'Hello, George" some one said.
"You seem in deep study"
He looked up and saw his uncle.
Eyes, and about very little thing"
he replied. IAN impudent dandelion
seed came squarely down on my nose.
How cunningly 1t is fashionedr'
"And how wisely!" added his uncle.
as he seated himself on rustic chair.
IA number Of plants have winged
seeds, and but for the wings they would
fall straight to the ground. The seed
Of the maple tree, while not down, has
quite a prominent membranous wing,
and when it falls it goes whirling
through the air. Others have tiny par
achutes with which they sail away"
THE Bible speaks of our having
faith as large as grain OF mustard
seed. suggested George.
us that the smallest seed. uncler'
ut is very small seed, but not the
smallest" rejoined his uncle. 1.-THE
seed Of the fungi can only be seen with
the aid of a microscope"
sis the cocoanut q seed?" asked
George.
"Yes," replied his uncle. -
sit is the largest seed, ! SUPPOSED"
mo, my boy. Linn@us tells us that
the seed of the Cocos, found in the Nal.
dive Islands, reaches the size of mans
body"
Seeds preserve their vitality for a
long time, do they not, unclep" George
asked. taG
"As a general thing" replied his
uncle. "Some preserve their GERM.
hating power for but few hours
Notwithstanding the thick covering to
the coffee seed, planters often lose their
crops by deferring sowing for a few
days. Other seeds preserve their vital.
ity for thousands of years. Seeds
found in mummies and cities destroyed
by lava have been known to terminate
as soon as planted. Sometimes seeds
remain torpid in the ground, only
springing up under more than ordi
nary circumstances. They have come
to life in burned forests and died-uT
marshes, presenting plants never
known to have existed there. Aitel
the great fire Of London the hedge
mustard grew thickly amid the ruins
and occasioned much comment"
1 The subject was so interesting Il
George that it found him an attentive
listener. Much that his uncle said sur
prised him, but he knew that the state
ments were correct
THE number Of seeds which SOM
plants produce is absolutely astound
ing" resumed his uncle. Ray count
ed $1,000 seeds on one poppy stalk
Linnaus says that single stem Of to
bacco often yields 10000 seeds, Will
Dodard affirms that an elm tree pro
duces 529, 900 seeds annuallyv'
.'Why, uncle!' exclaimed George
"They would cover the globe with veg
etationm ..N
There are many causes to proven
such an INVASION" said his uncle, witt
smile. "Men. animals the rigor Q
the climate, ETC., are the barriers. On
invader crowds out the other; the prai
rie gives way to the thicket and tn
thicket to the forest Can you nam
some of the means by which seeds ar
transported"
Yes. uncle. BY ships. caravans
} animals and birds"
birds distribute many seeds an
many varieties. There are not les
than 261 species of plants growing !
the Coliseum of Rome, which, accord
ing to Sebastian an Italian author
we're transported thither by birds.
is stated that. the Dutch having d
s;royed the nutmeg trees in several I
the Indian islands in order TO confir
the cultivation of these trees to CeyloI