The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-23
CHAMBER OUTFITS.
WINGED SEEDS.
Natures Plan OF Distributing Plants With
out the Aid OF Man.

The terrible eruption OF Krakatoa, In
the sunda Strait, in 1883, furnished the
opportunity for illustrating the ease with
which nature can replant with vegetable
life a district that has become completely
desolated. The vocsnic eruption was one
OF the most obstructive recorded in his-
tory, the loss OF human life being esti-
mated TO exceed i00,0 600. OF the 80 vol
canoes on and near the Island OF Java 26
We're in violent eruption at the same
time. The center OF disturbance was the
island volcano of Krakatoa, which emit
ted molten lava and burning ashes in
such abundance that every living thing,
whether animal or vegetable, on the
island was destroyed, and an observer
from a ship, which approached close to
the land, declared that the whole island
was red hot. -Four years from the date
of the eruption the island was visited by
an eminent naturalist, who found that
the ashes and lava had cooled to such an
extent as to permit the beginnings OF
vegetable life, and on making a closer ex-
animation he discovered that during the
brief space of four years nature had
stocked the island with 246 different kinds
of plants.
There are many seeds which seem, by
their formation, to be specially designed
for transmission through the air, and OF
lions as the thistle. The seed CT the
common dandelion, plant to be seen ON
every common, has wings which will
carry IL away on the slightest breath of
kfr. The wings are very slight filaments,
radiating backward from the seed, so
that, when the latter finally lodges, it
falls tip first, in the most favorable posi-
tion for taking root. country children in
the United States often lind amusement
in blowing the seeds from the stalk and
watching to sec how far they will go be-
fore falling 10 the ground, but whenever
there is even moderate breeze .tne..experi-
ment Is uniformly failure as the feecy
seed fly out OF sight and are gone I'm an
instant, and the next season dandelion
springs up In somebody's lawn, where the
plant was never seen before. The COM
mon tumble weed Is smother example OF
the winged seed. The plant grows in a
woolly bunch, which, when dried, is
easily separated from the stalk, and q
light breeze sets the ball rolling over the
ground, to scatter its seed wherever it
goes.
The seeds of many ferns and micro
scopic plants are SO constructed as to be
readily lifted and carried away by the
wind, while some of considerable size are
provided with an elaborate Arrangement
for aerial transportation. The common
maple is an example of the last kind, for
projecting from its large head is q MEM
brane closely resembling Ia size, shape,
and general appearance the wing of the
locust. When the seed is separated from
the tree, even If the air be quite still, 1t
does not fall directly to the earth, but,
by its peculiar construction acquires in
falling spiral motion that takes IL sew
eral feet from beneath the starting point;
and when q brisk breeze is blowing one
of these winged seeds has been known to
twirl through the air for six miles before
its journey came to an end, and 1t sank
TO the ground, there TO germinate and
start maple grove.-St. LOUIS Globe
Democrat.