Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-09
SCATTERING SEEDS ABROAD.
Curious Methods Which Nature Adopts for
Distributing Them.

SOME OF THEM ARE SCATTERED BIZ BIRDS, WHILE
OTHERS ARE CARRIED HITLER AND rHTrHEB By
OCEAN CURRENTS, AND OTHERS STILL DE-
PEND UPON THE WINDS Oh EVEN THEIR OWN
PRIcKLINEsa
THE BOTTLE HELD ABOUT PINT,
l. and it was filled with . most curious
mixture Of wheat and other grains different
seeds. q few scorns and several dozen grass
hoppers. One would never have imagined
although such was really the fact, that
the collection had formed the contents of
a single wild turkeys stomach. Evidently the
dinner had been only freshly consumed when
the bird was shot, because all the things men
toned. even to the grasshoppers and one acct
dental katydid, seemed to be in a perfect state
of preservation.
One section Of a division at the Depart
of Agriculture devotes its attention exclusively
to investigating the contents of birds stom-
| achs. more often called gizzards for the pur-
| pose OF finding out whether the animals whose
internal economy is thus inquired into are foes
to the farmer by devouring his crops or useful
on account of their appetites for insects and
other creatures that prey upon cultivated
plants 1t is by such means that the harmful
character of the English sparrow has been de-
termined, while in the same manner the crow
has been made to give evidence against him
self which warrants wholesale condemnation
OF his species. At the same time, as is the case
Win jim Crow the same bird is likely to do
| some good and some injury at the same time
the problem being to balance the two by a
| carelui Inspection of the contents of thous-
anus OF giZzards. To the result in each case a
record Is appended, and SO no Judgment is rem
| dered against q feathered criminal without due
consideration.
| Testimony afforded in this way is irrefragi-
Die Mnen each stomach is cut open its liquid
contents are strained off through muslin and
the solid residue is inspected with magnify
| ing glass Seeds form a large part of tie food
OF most birds. and to identify them when partly
alsested Is sometimes very difficult. Accord
ingiy, 10 make the task easier. samples Of 600
olHerent varieties OF seeds are kept on hand in
Mite walls Tor comparison, duly labeled.
HOW BIRDS DISTRIBUTE SEEDS.
Birds perform in natures behalf an import
ant function in the distribution Of Seeds They
eat all kinds Of berries, digest the pulp and
nnaliy deposit the seeds uninjured and in con-
oluon to terminate. Doubtless the most i'm
portant reason why seeds in general are pro-
vlded with such hard and tough shells is that
they may be preserved from harm through the
processes OF digestion by various animals and
IN all sorts of unfayorable circumstances. The
| birds which thus scatter seeds are mostly of
the soft-bllled species, which do not have
stomachs adapted to grinding. Hard-billed
birds like the jays and woodpeckcrs, swallow
acorns and other nuts whole, grinding them
up III their glZZards to obtain the nutritious
meats. Seeds of the poison ivy are supposed
| to be distributed chiefly by crows. which are
very fond of the berries containing them. They
are nearly as hard as gravel stones
Some birds do great deal of good by eating
the seeds OF weeds in winter. After the autumn
crops have been gathered many worthless
plants, like the pgweed and barngrass. spring
into rank luxuriance from the disturbed soil.
When they have ripened feathered friends of
| the farmers come along and feed upon their
seeds, thus dong much to prevent their propa-
CATION. An estimate was made a while ago
that single kind OF winter bird destroyed at
least 100 900 bushels of seeds OF weeds annually
in the state of Iowa.
Naturalists of the opinion that certain
seeds, like those of the peach. the grape and
Gil sorts OF berries, are covered by nature with
pulp agreeable to the taste simply for the
purpose Of inducing animals to swallow them,
thus insuring their distribution. Man is one
OF the animals which serve to carry out this
intention. Wherever the troops went during
the late war they scattered seeds Of MANY use
ful fruits without meaning to do so. and cess
pools OF the old camps may be located to this
day by ciumps OF seeding apple and pear trees
Fruit trees and bushes flourish in the ancient
rifle pits. The date and the olive have been
widely disseminated by man, and the grape
more particularly on account of the difficulty
with which the seeds are separated from the
pulp.
CURRENTS OF WATER DO IT.
Even currents OF water serve to a vast extent
the purpose of distributing seeds Walnut,
butternut and pecan trees are found close to
streams, where they drop their nuts into the
passing flood, to be carried far away and start
other groves perhaps hundreds of miles dis
tant. Tree seeds OF many sorts are carried by
oceanic currents. The flora of the east coast Of
Florida contains many species from the West
Indies, which have been brought by the eaua-
torial currents through the Caribbean Sea into
the Gulf of Mexico and around by the gulf
stream. The first vegetation that grows on the
coral islands is produced in this manner. OF
course, the coral building polyps only work
under water, lifting the reefs they construct as
high the surface, after which the waves
throw upon them sand and other disintegrated
substances. In this beginning of soil and of
dry land seeds fetched by currents of the sea
find resting place, sprouting and holding the
shifting ground together with their roots.
Thus after while the reef grows into an island
and big trees shade 1t with their branches
Seeds are distributed to a great extent by
winds. Every one has seen on summer DAYS
the little embryo of the dandelion. floating in
| the air By means of the feathery parachute to
which it is attached. Similar fluffy appendages
carry on the lightest breezes the seeds of the
cottonwood tree and milkweed. Elm and
maple seeds each have a wing like the tail of a
fish. 30 that, they fall from the tree, they
can never tumble straight down. but are stecred
| away. Each seed has only one wing because if
it had two, it would have agreater tendency to
60 straight.
SQUIRRELS AND GoPHERs GREAT sCArTEIEns OF
SEED.
Squirrels and gophers are great scatterers of
seed. They carry nuts about in their check
pouches and bury them here and there in the
ground an inch to au inch and a half deep.
They remember where n good many OF them
are hidden and dig them up again. but thew are
sure to forget some, and these have an excel
| lent chance to sprout and grow. Another pro-
vision OF nature for the same purpose is found
| in the burrs which are SO ANNOYING when thew
| attach themselves to, ones clothing. In the
same way they cling to the fur and feathers of
all sorts OF animals, clinging tenaciouslv They
are very troublesome to sheep breeders because
| they have to be removed from the
| wool before it can be manufactured But
| all this has its object from Dame Ma
| lures point of view, because each burr
| contains seed. and it has got to be scattered
| IN some way. This is very effective method
| OF accomplishing it, inasmuch as the burrs
follow the animals to which they have attached
themselves through the wanderings and mi
grations OF the latter. dropping off perhaps
| months later, ali ready to terminate The
| familiar Spanish needles are seeds likewise
| and the two barbed hooks which each of them
cnrrieS nre intended tn cling in lLa v,aono.