The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-08-26


'lt Is mammal" exclaimed the people
Of Israel as they gathered the food
which seemod So miraeulously TO ap-
pear at their very fept in answer to
their cry Tor snslenance. but though
they ate and were satisfied yet. we are
i0iu they uisf not What 30 was And
durins ihe ages that have passed since
its hrst appearance on that memorable
dewy rinrning in the Wilderness of
Sin. men have declared again and
again that they twist not what it was
that thus fed the lsraeIites IN their
neel. though nnmberless conjectures
have heen made and discussions held
on the natter The chief opinion
which had sway for a long time was
that mama was the sap Of the lamar
isk, br. NOW authorities. seeing IN the
Hight Of widening scientific knowledge,
declare that mamma was without doubt
a certain lichen Lecauora esculental.
This Is borne out by the fact that well
authenticated rains Of mamma. abso-
lutely believed by the Inhabitants to
be showers from heaven. have been re-
ported az least six times during the
present century by reliable travellers
In the East. and the descriptions Of the
deposit given In precise present day
language leave no doubt upon the
point II piece OF mamma be
examined under the microscope its pc
cullar compound structure can be
clearly seen, there Is delicate net
work Of interlaclng fungal threads
glistening 10 the light. while enclosed
In their meshes are a number OF
round. bright green cells. each a tiny
algal plant. Thus fungus and alga
live together in most intimate connec-
lion. the fungus being in the mama
lichcn the leading spirit. though this
Is not the case IN every lichen. for In
some OF these organisms the develop
ment Of the green plant is the factor
determining the form which will be
taken. It may be asked how fresh
manna-lichens arise seeing that It is
difficult 20 imagine a frequent colnci-
dent meeting Of a particular fungus
and a particular green plant But.
granted the meeting has once taken
place. the rapid reproduction Is easy
70 understand At certain times IN
the year a yellowish dust appears in
little green cups, growing on the sur
face OF the plant. and each Of the
grains of dust Is a minute bundle con
tanning a few Of the white flaments
and a few Of the green cells wrapped
up together. so that wherever this dust
may fall each grain can become a new
manna-hchen. There is. moreover. a
second method Of reproduction. in
which the fungus alone takes part. and
sends out tiny offspring TO take their
chance in the wide world OF finding
suitable host as their parent has done:
but the details are complicated and at
present involved IN some obscurity.
Thus then Lecanora esculenta-man-
na-is In its very nature one Of the
most remarkable phenomena in the
vegetable world Il Is found over
great tracts Of southwest Asia. near
Constantinople. 10 the Crimea. the
deserts Of Arabia. in the Sahara. and
the deserts Of Algeria. II Is easy 70
pass 1t by unnoticed for it is grayish
yellow in color. and grows on gray
limestone rocks and fragments Of rock
in the form Of a wrinkled crust. which
seems 70 a casual observer part Of the
very rock itself. and needs special care
TO distinguish IT, Cut through. 1t Is
white like corn within. dry and powd-
cry; IT is. moreover. extremely light
IN weight.-G. Clarke Nuttell. IN the
Sunday Magazine