The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-06-13
A TALK ABOUT SEEDS.


A TALK ABOUT SEEDS.
Some Of the Peculiar Ways In which They
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. Hc
was dreamily watching the play OF
light among tho leaves overhead, and
the shifting banks OF clouds. fieecy and
crimson-tinged, way of against the
horizon. The leaves rustled softly; the
birds sang sweetly in the bushes; a
butterfly went by on gaudy wings: a
bee followed with its thighs yellow
with pollen; a sheep was bleating In
the pastures.
Suddenly he sat bolt upright. his Ian
guor gone In fash. which was the re-
suit OF very simple incident. A dam
delion seed hoated 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 time from their feathery
ball. but had never examined their
structure. He noticed that the seed
had little stem, upon tho end Of which
stood out . number OF small fibers.
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.
"Ycs, and about a very little thing"
he replied. IAN impudent dandelion
seed came squarely down on my nose.
How cunningly it is fashionedr'
'.And how wiselyr' added his uncle,
as he seated himself on rustic chair.
"A 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 prominent membranous wing,
and when it falls it goes whirling
through tho air. Others have tiny par
nchutcs with which they sail away"
Tho Bib'c speaks Of our having
faith as large as a grain Of mustard
sccd. " suggested George.
'Is that the smallest seed. uncle?'
ut is very small seed, but not the
smallest" rejoined his uncle. The
seed Of the fungi can only be seen with
the aid Of microscope"
lis tho cccoanut q sced?" asked
George.
yes" replied his uncle.
1T is the largest seed, / suppose"
NO. my boy. Linnans tells us that
the seed OF the Cocos, found in the NAL
dive Islands. reaches the size OF a mans
body"
Seeds preserve their vitality for a
long time, do they not. uncle?" George
asked.
AS general thing" replied his
uncle. ..Some preserve their germi-
mating power for but a 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 moro than ordi-
nary circumstances. They have come
10 life in burned forests and dried-up
marshes. presenting plants never
known to have existed there. After
the great fire OF London the hedge
mustard grew thickly amid the ruins,
and occasiOned much comment"
The subject was SO interesting to
George that it found him an attentive
listener. Much that his uncle said SUR
prised him. but he knew That the state
Mcnts were correct.
THE number OF seeds which some
plants produce is absolutely astound-
ing resumed his uncle. ''Ray count
cd $1,000 seeds on one poppy stalk;
Linn;ras says that q single stem OF to-
bacco often yields 10000 seeds. while
Dodard affirms that an elm tree pro-
duccs 529, 600 seeds annually!'
why, uncle" exclaimed George.
.'They would cover the globe with veg
ctatiOn!n
There are many causes to prevent
such IN INVASION" said his uncle, with
q smile. ''Men. animals. the rigor oil
the climate. etc., are the barriers. One
invader crowds out the other; the prai-
rio gives way to the thicket, and the
thicket to the forest Can you name
some OF the means by which seeds are
transported"
Yes, uncle. BY ships. caravans
animals and birds"
Birds distribute many seeds and
many varieties. There are not less
than 26l species of plants growing in
the Coliseum OF Rome, which, accord
ing to Sebastian. an Italian author
wcrc transported thither by birds. /
is stated that, the Dutch having de
str0yed the nutmeg trees In several o
the Indian islands In order to confin.
the cultivation of these trees TO Ceylon
the nutmeg-eating pigeons, which ar'
very fond OF this fruit, sOwed the ire,
afresh in almost every spot whore the.
had been extirpated. But you didn'
mention the principal vehicles OF trans
portation."
didn't I?' asked George, with
thoughtful look. ''Oh, the winds an,
hc-thc-streams
..And the oceans, George. Even tn
icebergs contribute their share to tn
distribution. and the same may be sal
of the glaciers. The cocoanuts of tn
Seychelles, protected BY their wood
coverings. have been carried by ocea
currents to Malabar, q distance Of NOR
than four hundred leagues by water
Fruits from Equatorial America hav
been found stranded on the shores {
Scandinavia. Mountain streams hav