The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-08-18
MILITANT PLANTS.
THEY LOOK LIKE FIGHTERS, AND
THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE.

| spines which Pierce Like Needles-Some
Fighters In tho Palm ramiIy-The Jim
corbett of the Collection.
"All organic beings. without exception,
tend to increase at so high "A ratio that no
| district, no station, nor even the whole
surface of the land or the whole ocean .
would bold the progeny Of single par
| after certain number of generations. Inc
| inevita BILE result is an ever recurrent strug-
| gle for existence IL has truly been said
that all nature is at war, the strongest ui-
| timately prevail, the weakest fall. Some
| thing like this statement by the most cele-
/ brated Of the naturalists will occur to the
observant person without any skill in nat
ural history who visits the Phipps conserv-
atory and tries to make ont the meanings
OF the curious features which so many OF
the plants present.
For instance. the big Pandanus reiexus,
which no visitor will pass unnoticed. 1t
| has n militant look from the root up, its
leaves or whatever they are to be called
reminding one of the ancient two handed
swoid-that is, they do at first glance but
one must not trust that, or he will be de
ceived. The leaf is not like sword blade;
only half of it is. The whole leaf is OF
the shape of half opened book On each
edge and along the center is a row OF
spines, which pierce like needles. i is en-
dogenous-thFt is, increases by internal
growth and eiongation at the top and has
no bark to strengthen and protect it.
| Judging from appearance, one OF those
long leaves would be easily broken by the
push of an animal, and to keep animals at
their distance it has sent out these spines.
which guard it from three directions. A
young animal which ran against them
once would remember them the next time,
just as calves and colts soon learn not to
play close to barbed wire fence The
pandanus, which is one of 80 species of
genus which inhabits tropical climes from
Africa to Polynesia, as it sticks out its
keen spines and threatens to puncture the
hide of anything which comes near 1t,
seems to say, like the Scotch thistle: mo
body can monkey with me with impunity.
am fighter That is one reason why
1t is so big. It has made room for itself.
In nature might is right-the weaker goes
to the wall.
Some other fighters will be found in the
palm house. One is easily found by its
label, Latania barbonica, and it is par
ticularly interesting in that it is an exam
pie of plant protecting its young, if that
is the way to say it, Three outer stalks.
strong and well developed, each with its
row of sharp spines, inclose and defend the
tender central stalks. The leaf of a central
stalk, one may see, is not allowed to pass
the older stalks, lest it suffer damage.
They keep 1t behind them as a mother
might push her child behind her in time
of danger. This young leaf is kept in lead
| k.,a
that it can reach out over the others and
take care of itself. Meantime it will pro-
duce set of spines and join the other
stalks in the great fight which is to deter
mine what plant is fittest to survive The
instinct of animals is wonderful but the
instinct of the plant is equally so. That
may he seen in this larger latania, which
states on its label that these palms were
discovered in south China in 1918. 1t has
developed body. and in that at the base Of
the branches the fruit grows. Care must be
taken of that for if the seed is not ripened
they will not reproduce, and the species
will suffer to that extent. See the spines
ON those branches around where the fruit
lies. Let an animal try to get into it, and
he would come out with sore hide The
plant would scratch him like cat. The
pandanus is erect, and so its spines stick
straight out. 1t wants to prevent animals
from pushing against it. The palm wants
to protect its fruit, and 50 its spine points
downward, rs much as to say to thief
below, "Nou come up here, and I'll lab
your eyes ont. y In still another palm, the
great one just inside the main entrance
to the conservatory, the spines are inches
long, look like stilettos and form per
feet cheval-defrise. Man, with all his
thinking how to make that obstruction TO
an enemy most complete, has not surpass-
ed the genius of nature in so directing the
points OF these stilettOs as to cover every
possible approach. AS a fighter this big
Phenix spinosa is the Jim Corbett of the
Farmhouse, and it is great ON style.
That is what some OF the other fighters
are not, as the cactuses. They take all
sorts OF shapes, in stature rising from
creeping stems-though there is none so
large IN the conservatory-to trunks 30
feet high, but are neither beautiful when
small nor majestic when great. They are
too abominably stupid to put Oh STYLE
But what should one expect of a plant
which wild grows in hot, stony places and
When cultivated is entirely happy in
sandy loan mixed with brick dustS One
might as well expect style in those Httle
Diack Italians of the pipe line who have
been reared on mush and cucumbers. And
the pity of it is these cactuses are Amer
ican from way back. Pretty nearly their
only redeeming feature is that thev can
night. Big or little, they are ready to do
battle, unless it he those granddaddies
win the long white hair. which. like
many men, are aged looking without being
venerable and make one think they had
best betake themselves to another world
Tor all the good they are doing in this
whoever 1t was that put the cactuses and
the sleepy and leather Drained Young nj
hgators in the same house in the conser,,.
atory had an inspiration. for they surely
go together. But that is not 10 saw tbst
these plants are uninteresting. Far from
IT, Ihey offer many suggestions as IN the
humors OF nature, and in their spbere tbev
are useful. If they would only wate ~,
and look alive They seem doublv s.nnidg
TO one who goes to them from the sn;r;tad
pants IN the other parts Of the conserve.
tory. Pittsburg Times.
He Meant Overshoes.
- Hearing a gentleman sne,l, ~ HI.