The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1901-11-29
SHOWERS OF MAMA.
lusT WHY AND HOW SUCH RHE-
NoMeAA ARE POSSIBLE.


the wilderness Il an Edible Liehen
That Is SIM Found In Parts 81
Asia and Africa.
ut Is mammal" exclaimed the people
OF Israel as they gathered the food
which seemed so miraculOusly to APP
pear at their very feet in answer to
their cry for sustenance. but though
they ate and were satisfied. We are
told they twist not what 1t was"
Aud during the ages that have pass
ed since It's first appearance on that
memorable dewy morning In the will
derness OF sin men have declared again
and again that they twist not what Il
was" that thus. fed the Israelltes in
their need, though numberless conjec-
lures have been made and discussions
held on the matter.
The chief opinion which had sway
for a long time was that mamma was
the sap OF the tamarlsk, but now au-
thorities, seeing in the light of widen
ing scientific knowledge, declare that
mama was without doubt a certain
llchen Q.ecanora esculenta).
This is borne out By the fact that
well authenticated rains of mamma, alb.
solutely believed by the inhabitants to
be showers from heaven. have been re.
ported at least six times during the
past century by reliable travellers in
the east, and the descriptions Of the
deposit given III precise present day
language leave no doubt upon the point.
If a piece OF manna be examined
under the microscope, Its peculiar COM
pound structure can be clearly seen.
There is delicate network of interlac-
ing fungal threads Gllstenlng in the
light. willie lnclosed In their meshes
are number OF round, bright green
cells, cach tiny algal plant Thus
fungus and alga live together In most
intimate connection.
II may be asked how fresh mamma
lichens arise, seeing that ii Is difficult
to imagine frequent colncident meet
ing OF n particular fungus and a pnr-
| tlcular green plant. But granted the
meeting has once taken place, the rapid
reproduction Is easy to understand.
At certain times in the year yellow
ish dust appears In little green cups
growing on the surface Of the plnnt.
and cnch of the grains of dust is u
minute bundle containing a few OF the
white tilamcnts and few Of the green
cells wrapped up together, so that
wherever this dust may fall each grain
can become new mama lichen.
There is, moreover. second method
OF reproduction In which the fungus
alone takes part and sends out tiny on
spring 10 take their chance in the wide
world OF finding suitable host, us their
parent has done. but the details are
complicated and ut present involved in
some obscurity.
Thus. then. Lecanora csculenta =
mammals in its very nature one of the
most remarkable phenomena In the
vegetable world. 1t is found over great
tracts Of southwest Asia, near Constan-
tInople, In the Crimea, the deserts of
Arabln, in the Sahara and the deserts
OF Algeria.
II is eusy TO pass 1t by unnoticed, for
Ii Is grayIsh yellow in color and grows
on gray limestone rocks and fragments
OF rock In the form OF a wrinkled crust
which seems TO the casual observer
part OF the very rock itself, and needs
care TO distinguish 1t.
Cut through. 1t is white like corn
within, dry and powdery. 1t is, more
over, extremely light in weight. 1t is
| obvious that there is not much nourish-
ment 10 be obtained from the bare face
of the limestone rock, hence all the sus-
tenunce Of the two plants must be OBJ
tained from the atmosphere and the
rain by the little green plant, which
must thus work doubly hard to be able
TO pass on sunicient food for It's part
ner's living in addition to providing Its
own.
BY degrees, as it grows older. 1t be-
comes loosened or even detached from
the rocks, and then, when the sudden
whIrlwInds md violent storms which
affect many OF these regions blow. the
fentherweight pieces Of lchen crust are
torn up and blown into the air at the
mercy OF tile wind and carried, It may
be. for immense distances.
The rains, too, that descend with
such sudden vehemence sweep it away
into water channels, where 1t is borne
along on the stream and deposited in
hollows and left there in heaps when
the water subsidies.
at times, too. a waterspout VIII
gather 1t up, carry 1t along and ultl-
mately deposit 1t In place where hith-
erto it had been practically unknown
Sunday Magazine.