Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-11-05

The wrld Fig kills the Tree That Gives II
Shelter. .7

Shelter.
st. Nicholas.
But of all the vegetable inhabitants
of the tropical woods the strangest is
that one whose seed, 1t is said, will die
il it falls upon the ground, and which
only grows when it finds resting place
on the rock or a fence, or ON another
tree. where there is not a particle OF
earth or moisture; and in all tine West
India forest this tree ia the greatest
criminal. 1t has a long and beautiful
Latin name, which, it might be sup
posed, would have some subduing in
fiuence upon it. but il does not seem
to. This plant is the wild fig.
Let Us imugine that some hungry
bird, taking In it's beak ono OF the figs,
flies toia neighboring tree and, alight-
ing on lofty branch, eats the fruit.
One seed is left. The sun is warm and
the air moist, and after while tine
tiny germ begins so sprout and the
minute leaves, breaking their thin
shell, shoot upward--tender little in
nocent, putting up its slender arms in
''please- help-me' sort of way while
its spider-like legs are reaching out
to get firm hold on its aerial home.
Tho little plant seems 30 AhafmleAs.y and
the hospitable forest giant cannot know
to what a robber and monster it has
given a resting-place. After while
the fig sends up a stem. and its root,
peeping over the edge of the lofty
branch, finds tho 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 boldlyto the
ground ana here takes root. AS the
plant grows it let's fall other long feed
ers, ono by one, which descend TO the
earth. Some of the tentacles have by
this time found that the tree itself
affords IN easy descent, and one day a
root starts along the branch, and,
reaching the trunk, trips lightly down
it's spiral stairs, and thus reaches the
soil Others. finding this way go 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 tho trunk Of the
tree that supports them, the roots
strain and press upon it cruelty, 1t il
struggle or life, but their forest
host is doomed. Slowly and surely
they envelop 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 taken by tine ogre that has
strangled il.
The fig trees shown in the iliustra.
tion are not far from Northeast Point,
on the coast OF the beautiful island OF
Jamaica. The trunk of the larger il
about &c feet in circumference. Ii IL
composed of mass of great columns,
| twisted and strained together like
| tangled and knotted cables of enor
nous size. Some of them, II and II
| inches through, are separated from the
main trunk. Apparently rock formed
the foundation for this great tree. The
other has displaced what wac once {
tree about u foot in diameter, which
! can still be seen in the midst of th,
twisted strands of the fig which max,
| up trunk three feet in thickness. 1T
roots sprawl over the ground like 81
many big snakes.
The wild Zig belongs to tine sam,
family as the banyan. 1t is found il
the East and West Indies and in A us
tralia, and has the same destructiv
habits everywhere. Sometimes it grow
to an immense size. The woud is soft
and the natives mako bowls, trays ant
spoons of it. The fruit is about as larg
as an apricot.