The Portland daily press., 1895-07-09

There are some trees and plants which
1T IS exceedingly difficult to kill An ex.
ample is a tree found in South Africa
called baobab tree, that is most useful TO
the natives. No matter what sort of
treatment it receives it never seems to be
the worse for it, says the New Yor K
World
The natives make a strong cord that
lasts for years out of the fbres contained
in the pounded bark, and for this pur-
pose the whole of the trunk, as far as
they can possibly reach it, is barked, a
course of treatment which if applied to
any other tree would undoubtedly ruin
if not kill it, The only effect, however
upon the extraordinary baobab tree is to
make it throw out a new bark, appar-
entity as capable of answering the natives
purpose as the old one.
No external injury, not even fire ap-
pears to be able to injure this tough tree
to any extent If an ak be driven in with
hard blow, it can only with great diff
| Guilty be extracted, on account OF the
| soft, spongy wood closing upon it. Nei-
| ther can any injury be done to the tree
from within, and even cutting down does
not exterminate it; it continues to grow
| after it is lying on the ground.
| The nullah tree of the East Indies it
| also is almost impossible to kill 1t can
Re cut and hacked in any shape, and al
| though uprooted and allowed to lie on
| the sandy plains for months an uprig ht
branch or new trunk will grow
At Umballa, Bengal, India, there is a
| large tree that has had an experience 1t
is situated on the camping ground used
for regiments passing through Umballa
or for the infantry regiments which come
down from the hill stations in winter for
drill on the plains. The canteen tent is
pitched near it, and the soldiers derive a
great benefit from this curious tree as the
prostrate portion answers the purpose of
| two long seats and the upright part serves
as shade from the hot sun.
Another strange plant belonging some
what to this species, is the devil plant,
found near the Lake of Nicaragua tits
of such a deadly nature that it destroys
all insects and vegetable life in it's vicin-
ity. Nothing seems to be able to kill it,
and though it mas been burned down
several times it springs up again in Wig
orous life, without any loss of vitality.
In Jamaica there is to be found the
life-plant, also almost impossible to kill
The writer knows it to be fact that
when leaf is cut off and hung UP by a
string to dry or wither it sends out white,
th1ead-like roots, gathers moisture from
the air and begins to grow new leaves.
And still further, when it is pressed and
packed away in botanist's herbarium
it has really been known to outgrow the,
leaves of the book in which it was placed
The only way known to kill it is by ap-
plying red hot iron to it. or by steep
ing it in boiling water.
These few examples give some idea of
the extraordinary creations of the vege-
table world, many of which must appear
incredible to the unscientific. They do
not realize that there is an infinitely
greater variety of species in the vegetable
world than in that part of the animal
world visible to their eyes.
The trees and plants mentioned are
among those whose extraordinary quail
ties are well authenticated. There have
been many reports of still more remarka-
BILE vegetables, which, while they are not
clearly verified by scientific works, can
not be proved to be untrue
For instance, there is the plant which
feeds on meat, and which, while it ordi-
narily nourishes itself on small birds and
mice shows a fondness for raw beef when
it is placed in its way. Another has the
power OF coating itself with copper ex-
tracted from the soil in which it grows.
Various persons have reported the dis
coyery of plants similar to the devil plant
OF Nicaragua already mentioned, but
possessing still more deadly powers, even
to the endangering of human life.