Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-03

top. Myriads Of seeds are distributed in
every direction. Some are eaten by birds and
monkeys, while the vast majority are washed
away by floods OF die in the first stage of baby
hood. Hundreds may germinate under one
tree, but for lack of life they soon
perish. Here and there, however. where a few
rays have succeeded in penetrating the
canopy of foliage, one of them becomes strong
enough to get over its first difficulties. Then it
uses all Its strength to push its way up and up
until it arrives al the top 1t does not waste its
energy by spreading In any way but, straight
and thin a walking stick, at last forces its way
into the sunlight. Now. like a giant forcing
his way through a crowd. it pushes out branch
in this direction and another in that until it
succeeds in elbowing itself into a good place.
The next annual report of the Smithsonian
Institution viii contain most interesting essay
on this subject from which it is learned that.
except at night. there is no rest in the tropical
forest. The struggle goes on all through the
year, no winters sleep being possible. Plants
in temperate climates jog along quietly; but
here the is quite otherwise. From dawn
to sunset the trees are hard at work; one can
almost see some of them growing. At night
they complete exhausted; their branches
lose their stiffness while the leaves droop and
fold themselves together.
WHAT TREES HAVE TO CONTEND WITH.
The forest trees have not only to contend
with each other. but the struggle must be car
ried on against interlopers Of various kinds.
Creeping. twinng and scrambling vines are de-
termined somehow or other to set a share of
the sunlight. There is plenty of room at the
top" but they have to get there. Some of
them succeed III doing so by means of veritable
claws, and. when they reach the top. they ro-
venge themselves on the trees which have stood
in their light. They branch out in every d.
rection, spreading their leaves over the trees
and smothering them. As its branches extend
the stem of the climber swells and hartiens I'M
til it looks like grea: hempen cable IL the
plant is a twiner this cable constructs its sup
port in serpent-like folds until perhaps, the
tree is strangled TO death.
But the most iusdious foes against which the
tropical tree has to contendare strangers. such
az the figs and clusias. Birds eat the fruits of
these horrible plants aud deposit the seeds in
the topmost forks OF some forest giant whore
they terminate. One OF these succeeds in get
ting a start, and as its leaves open il extends a
number of aeral roots down the trunk of the
tree until they reach the earth. There they go
crawling down like very long worms clinging to
the bark, but seeming otherwise entirely harm
less. But now the stranger has gained footing
and begins to feel its power. The aerial roots
expand lateraly until they run into each other
and cover the trunk. COMPRISING and choking
it. AT length tine unfortunate victim droops
and dies. The trunk becomes diseased: wood
left but the hollow cylindrical column formed
by the interaced roots of the stranger.
Enemies no. less dangerous to the forest
giant are the so-called bird vines" They are
the woodworking leecEes OF the vegetable
kingdom. They are distributed. like the stranger.
by birds Though small. they make up in num-
bers what they lack in size. Their seeds are
covered with glutinous pulp. which, when
they dropped by birds. causes them TO ad-
here to the branches OF The trees. Here they
sprout and produce aerial roots covered with
suckers. which run along and insinuate them
selves into the cracks OF the bark. continually
nourlshing the plants on the life blood of their
victim. As the parasite extends itself in green
luxuriance the limbs of its prey begin to wither
aud dry up. until finally the branches break off
bv their own weight and fall to the ground
fetching the numbering plants with them.
Sometimes the whole tree will be covered with
them and will ultimately succumb to the con-
tinual drain on its vitality. but more often 1t
survives in IA miserable state of weakness, being
hardly able to produce flowers.
ARMIES WOOD ANTS.
In the tropical forest dwell armies of wood
ants. or termtes. which are scavengers When
tree is elbowed. smothered. strangled. or
sucked to death. they are ever in readiness TO
dispose of its remains. However hard the tim
Der may be. it is not too tough for these insig-
niicant creatures. To look At they appear the
weakest of all insects. Unable to endure even
the subdued light of the woods. they build
covered tunnels so as to be always in darkness
Nevertheless, thew able very quickly to
make "A fallen trunk fragile as an egg she'll
In wandering through the forest you come
across enormous tree lying across YOUR
path. II is TOO large to step over, so you put
your foot upon 1t, when, with crunch. crunch
the apparently hard timber crumbles like a
mummy. while the wood ants scattering in
every direction TO get under cover.
Among the most interesting plants in n 'front.'
cal forest the orchids. Far above the
ground the limbs of the giant trees are decor
ated with these curious epiphvtes The latter
simply grow upon their hosts not living at
their expense. They are the most independent
of things vegetable, obtaining their support
from the air. In payment for the accommoda-
ton they receive they decorate the brawny
limbs of the trees with their beautiful flowers
Different species have various methods of
storing up water against drought The
'.bromelas.' which likewise cling to the trees
far aloft. have Il method of storing water that is
peculiar TO themselves. Their leaves. tightly
overlapping one another, form cups, which will
retain stores of water for several weeks. In
these little vases certain kind of aquatic plant
finds Judgment and flourishes.
The best point OF view from which to observe
the struggle for life in the forest is a river or
creek. All along the banks. without n single
break. shrubs and low trees are densely packed
together, extending their branches as far as
possible over the stream. The struggle here Is
| so much more intense than in the high woods
that the army of combatants has put on armor
Almost soon as the seedlings grow they as
sumo weapons. Cover man from head to
foot with needles all pointing outward, set him
to elbow himself through crowd, and YOU
have something like what is actually the fact
with genus of low palms. Not only the stems,
but the ribs of the leaves also are covered with
needie-like spines. Most of the low shrubs have
stiff thorns, ready to tear the leaves and stems of
any young plant which tries to force Its way
through them. Having to contend against
such formidable opponents, the climbers put on
Rrmor well. The "desmoncus" covers its
stem with spines and insinuates its young
fronds through some little gap toward the
light. Step by step it ascends, tho fronds
opening one by one, each provided with ar
row head having dozen pairs of barbs. which
serve to hold up the weak trailing stem. These
barbs are most dangerous to boatmen coming
| swiftly down the stream, they hang over as
if fishing for any thing that comes in their way.
1t might be supposed that grasses would be
| entirely absent from such forest region, hav-
| ing no chance of survival However one
species has succeeded in getting over the diff
culties by adopting the mode of existence of a
water plant. Being provided with large creep
ing hollow stems. it anchors itself to the branch
OF some tree that meets the water. and from
| this point extends outward and along the shore.
ORCHIDS IN GREAT NUMBERS.
Beyond the fringe of dense vegetation along