The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-07-23
HARDY TREE3.
THEY SURVIVE HACKING, BURR.
ING AND UPROOTING.
The Nullah Tree an Examplc-Whcn
Uprooted IL GrOws!More Roots
Elsewhere-Other Nege-
table Wonders
. ONE trees and plants it is OK

= ONE trees and plants it is OK.
ceedingly difficult to kill. Az
y example is n tree found il
South Africa called the baobal
tree, that Is most useful to the natives
No matter what sort OF treatment il
receives 1t never seems to be the wors,
for it.
The natives make a strong cord that
lasts for years out of the fbres con.
tanned in the pounded bark, and fol
TINS purpose the whole of the trunk, n,
far as they can possibly reach it, j.
parked, course of treatment which if
applied to any other tree would nm
doubtedly ruin if not kill it. The only
elect, however, upon the oxtraordi-
nary baobab tree is to make il throw
out new bark, apparently as capable
OF answering the natives purposes ms
the old one.
No external injury, not even fire.
appears to be able 10 iniure this tough
tree to any extent. Ii an axe he
driven in with hard blow, it can ONLY
with great difficulty he extracted. on
account OF the soft, spongy wood clos
ing upon 1T. Neither eau any injury
be done to the tree from within. ana
even cutting it down does not cxter-
inmate 1t; it continues to grow after
1t Is lying on the ground.
The nullah tree of the East Indies is
also almost impossible to kill. II can
be cut and hacked in any shape. and
although uprootei and allowed to lie
on the sandy plains for months an up.
branch 4 L.
At Umballa, Bengal, India, there Is
large tree that has madam experience.
1t is situated on :he camping-rround
used for regim euts passing through
Umballn, or for the Infantry reoI-
ments which como down from the hill
stations in winter for drill on the
plains. The canteen tent is pitched
near 1t, and the soldiers derive n GREAT
peneht from this curious tree ms the
PROSTATE portion answers the pur-
pose Of two long seats and the upright
part serves rs a shade from the hot
sun.
Another strange plant, belonging
somewhat to this species, is the devil
plant, found near the Lake of Nicara-
qua. 1t is of such n deadly nature
that it destroys all insects and vege.
table life in its vicinity. Nothing
seems to be able to kill it, and though
1t has been burned down several times.
1T springs up again in vigorous 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 n leaf is cut off and hung
up by string to dry or wither. II
sends out white thrcadlike roots.
gathers moisture from the air. and be.
gins to grow new leaves. Aud still
further, when it is pressed and packed
away in botanist's hcrbarium it has
really been known to outgrow the
leaves of the book in which it was
placed The only way known to kin
1t IS by applying red-hot IRON to it.
or by stepping it in boiling water.
These few examples give some idea
OF the extraordinary creations of the
vegetable world, many of which must
appear incredible to the unscicntific.
They do not renlize TINT there is an
infinitely greater variety of species in
the vegetable world than i'm that part
of the animal world visible to their
eyes. New York World.