Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1896-11-19
A VEGETABLE OGRE.
Tho Wild Fig Kills the Tree That Gives
1t Shelter.

Tho Wild Fig Kills the Tree That Gives
1t Shelter.
But of all the vegetable inhabitants
of the tropical woods the strangest is
that one whose seed, it is said, will die
if it falls upon the ground, and which
only grows when it finds resting place
on the rock or q fence, or on another
tree, where there is not particle OF
earth or moisture; and in all the West
India forest this tree is the greatest
criminal. 1t has long and beautiful
Latin name, which, it might be sup
posed, would have some subduing in
fluence upon it, but it does not seem to.
This plant is the wild fig.
Let us imagine that some hungry
bird, taking in its bealS one of these
figs, flies to q neighboring tree, and,
alighting on lofty branch, eats the
fruit. One seed is left. The sun is
warm and the air moist, and after
awhile the tiny germ begins to sprout,
and the minute leaves, breaking their
thin shell, shoot upward-tender little
..l.s.oocnt, piltoing q y IS slender arms
in a "pleasc-help-me" sort of way;
while its spder-lille legs are reaching
out to get firm hold on its aerial home.
The little plant seems so harmless, and
the hospitable forest giant cannot
know to what robber and monster it
has given resting place. After awhile
the fig sends up stem, and it's root,
peeping over the edge of the lofty
branch, finds the ground so or 100 feet
below. But nature has endowed this
sprig with daring, and, nothing
daunted, the slender thread leaps into
the air, and, feeding upon the moisture
with which the hot atmosphere is laden,
it drops slowly and boldly to the ground
and here takes root. AS the plant
grows, it let's fall other long feeders,
one by one, which descend to the earth.
Some of the tentacles have by this
time found that the tree itself affords
an easy descent, and one day root
starts along the branch, and, reaching
the trunk, trips lightly down its spiral
stairs, and thus reaches the soil. Others,
finding this way so easy, follow, and so
the roots increase in number and size,
nourishing their master above. 1t has
now grown in strength and vigor, and
wrapping themselves around the trunk
OF The tree that supports them, the roots
Strain and press upon it cruelty. 1t is
q struggle for life, but their forest host
is doomed. Slowly and surely they en-
velop it. The embrace OF the fig Is
death. At last the great tree dies, and
little by little, rotting branch by branch
it falls to pieces, and its place is taker
by the ogre that has strangled it.
The fig trees shown in the illustration
are not far from Northeast Point, OF
the coast of the beautiful island ot
Jamaica. The trunk of The larger IL
nbout 30 feet in circumference. 1t !!
composed of mass OF great columns
twisted and strained together like tan
gled and knotted cables of enormous
size. Some of them, 10 and IA inches
through, are separated from the maiI
trunk. Apparently rock formed th'
foundation for this great tree. TIL,
other has displaced what was once {
tree about n foot in diameter, which cal
still be seen in the midst of the twisted
strands of the fig which make up
trunk three feet in thickness. It's root
sprawl over the ground like so man.
big snakes.
The wild fig belongs to the same fam
lily as the banyan. 1t is found in tn
East and West Indies and in Australia
and has the same destructive habit
everywhere. Sometimes 1t grows 3
an immense size. The wood IL scf;
and the natives make bowls, trays an
spoons of it. The fruit is about @
large as an apricot.-Eustace B. Roger,
in st. Nicholas.