Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-10-24
SEED TRAVELLERS.

SteuS are the Cn1lOTcn OF the pldUiS, dIil
perhaps no children receive more careful
attention. While they are immature and
delicate. they are nourished and protected
from their enemies by thousand In
gcnious devices, and when, at last, they
are ready to leave their parents. they are
given every chance for successful start
ir the world. And all this Is absolutely
necessary, If plant would save its race
from determination, for so fierce Is the
struggle for existence that even as 1t Is.
only one seed in many thousands lives to
obtain a permanent foothold in the soil.
Of the untold millions which annually fall
to- the earth, nearly all perish from one
cause or another. Tons of them are de-
stroyod every fall and winter by birds.
riany of which live almost exclusively on
seeds during these seasons: others are de-
stroyed by insects, mice and squirrels. and
vast numbers never terminate, simply BE-
cause they fall amongst rocks, sand and
other inhosptablo surroundings. Even of
those which sprout and actually start to
grow. very few are able to maintain their
footing, the majority being starved out or
crowded out by stronger and more vigor-
Gus competitors. Those which succeed. 90
so in the face of fearful odds, and very
wild flower we sec blooming in tho woods
or along the roadside. is hero in it's way.
The chances of success are Sc slight that
in order to be sure of having some of her
offspring survive, each plant sends forth
great many more seeds than would
otherwise he necessary. But numbers
alone will not avail: they must he sent
abroad in as many different directions rs
possible, that some of them at least may
, fall where conditions are favorable for n
successful struggle. To get their seeds dis
trihuted then, Is a problem which nearly
all plants have to contend with and many
of them have most interesting and in
genious ways Of solving it. Some flowers,
nix ma
tiers in their own hands. so to speak. and
ling their seeds from them soon as thu. v
are ripe. In this case the seeds are con-
tanned In cylindrical pods. which. upon the
slightest touch. split down the side and
curl up with great force. scattering the
seeds in every direction. The garden
hasam. too. uses this means Of dstrl-
buting her seeds. though she no longe-
needs 1t. as the gardener attends to that
part of the work for her. Tho common
witch hazel cxpcls it's seeds violently
when they are thoroughly ripe.
The majority Of plants. however. do not
undertake the work of dist ribution alone
but rely largely on agents to do 1t for
them. one of the most powerful agents
is the wind, and many seeds have become
peculiarly adapted tn receive its aSsls-
lance. An excellent example Is the seed of
the common milkweed, which is attached
to tuft of night silky hairs henea tn
which its floats away on the breeze like
the car of miniature balloon. In similar
way the seeds of the dandelion are carrl' d
north. south. east or west, according TO
the direction of the wind and when the
little goldinch feeds upon the thistle tops
ne does his part toward Distributing the
emblem Of Scotland. Only few days ago
7 saw a cloud of downy seeds coating
away from a patch of tall wild lettuce.
and every spiders web within a quarter
of mile was laden with the fiuttering
slken tufts. The seeds of the maple ash
birch. elm. pine. trumpet creepor and or q.
ers have attached to them light. papery
wings, and when the wind catches then.
they fly away twisting scaling and
futtering through the air for a considera-
bic distance before they reach the ground.
Many plants, particularly some Of those
which grow along the borders of streams
use the water as seed -distrihutor The
ripcned seed falls and is carried down by
| the current until miles below perhaps. Il
ie washed mp on the shore. Or perhaps, il
floats ont to sea- to be stranded mont rs
! In ter, upon foreign shores. Some seeds re-
sist the action Of water for long TIM.
and cocoanut will sometimes terminate
after floating about in the sea for half Il
year
Another class of seeds are specially
adapted for adherine to the fur of ami
mails and to the clothing of men. We can
hardly take a walk in the country in the
autumn without having our stockings.
trousers and jackets covered with the
seeds of desmodums. burmargolls ard
docks. The country children know them
by such names as "burrs." "heggar- ticks
and devils pitchforks." Some of these
seeds are simply rough on the surface
while others are armed with hooks claws
and harhed spinos. As a rule, the a
very inconspicuous, and hard to avoid ana
Whom we lind them sticking to our clio h
ing We naturally want TO pull them pff b.
fore returning home. So we sit down and
pull them off and as we throw them away
porhans five miles from the parent plant
we unconsclously fulfil the very purp 20
for which those hooks and claws and
harbs were made. But we are not the only
animals which these seeds use as means
of transporta ton; they stick to the coats
of dogs, foxes. bears, wolves and scores
Of other creatures, and to the tails OF
horses and cattle.
Some hard seeds like those of cherries
and many berries, cover themselves wi
an attractive edible pulp and thereby
tempt birds to swallow them. The pulp /,
diSestod, but the seeds pass unharmec
. through the alimentary canal. and may
thus gain foothold hundreds of mile.
from the place where they grew. Apples
pears, oranges, peaches. plums and othel
fruits are attractive to man that l.,
ships them for thousands OF miles. ano
, while he incidentally eats the outer GOV
erng he distributes the seeds around thu
world.
Squirrels. mice, many species Of bird.
and some insects have a habit of STORM,
up nuts and other seeds for future use
, The squirrels and mice hide them in hol
low trees in holes in the ground and un
der the leaves; jays and nutha tches poke
them into cracks and crevices in the bark
and some woodpeokers make little holes OF
, purpose, out of the thousands perhap
millions of birds and mammals which ha
this habit, many are killed and doubles
some forget just where certain boards ar
: hidden. Then these nuts and acorns ma.
lie for years until the Telling of a tree o
some other favorable circumstance give
them chance TO get into the ground AM
grow.
In these and very many other ways
: seeds travel from place to place. and Their
. are not two inches of soil on the earth, s.
!, far apart that the seed of some plan
: could not make its way from one to tn
y other.
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES.
, What's Your Face w orthp
81 Some times "A fortunc b,t noVer If va