The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-09
NATURES sEEp.PLANrlNe.

Nature, SAYS the Aurocrat OF the
Breakfast Table. always has her pockets
fun Of seeds aud holes in al her pockets
/ Certain il is that nature spares no iains
| II providing for the perpetuation OF pant
! organisms. Every Wild plant furnishes
/ HlyriaIs Of seeds full allowance icing
/ made for waste and less. and 50 effective
/ are the means used in their distri button
and planting that a very few yesrs are
| sufficient 70 spread O new variety over
! wide areas.
During the glacial period the rec masses
which piOughed the continents bore with
! them seeds and roots The rivers and
/ ocean currents took up the work bearing
/ abroad the seeds % different larir,i6-s. Ir
/ Louisiana and Mississippi the l-ora pecu-
/ lar to the Rocky Mountain beighfs where
! The Missouri has its source. four thousand
! niles away f1d ladgmert on the elars
/ II The Mississippi rivsr and flourish r1ler
/ the beans OF The glowing semitic pIcaI
sun. On the western ccasts Of lr-laud
! and England are found The plants OF the
7 plains OF the Amazon and the Oraoco.
| the Vest Indies and Florida. borne across
1 The Atlantic by tie current Of tha Gull
! Stream.
/ The volcanic eruptions in the Island %
/ lava n IsS3 furnished a remarkable 81
/ lostrati Of the facility with which na
! tune is able 20 reDlaut with vegetable life
l q desoiatod region The center II the
l disturbance was the island volcano Of
I kratatoa, which sent forth foods Of
molten lava. 50 thar every thing Irving
whether animal or vegetable. was Jes-
I troyed. The island n the words OF an
/ obser-er. was red hot" Only four Years
after this. event. a naturalist visiting the
/ SPOT. found that nature. urassistsd by
maa. mad stocked the island with Do var
I=tics or plants he winds ere wives,
and the birds had been their agents.
The birds dc ereat share in this work
Mr. Darwin found by examination that
particles Of earth aGhering To the feet IF
/ MIGRATING birds generally contain seeds
From q bail of earth carefully removed
from the leg OF a wounded Uartride4 h.
raised eighty two plants Of f~e din rCnt
species. From six ard Chrea-Cl artCrs
ounces Of earth gathered from the feet Of
/ birds which frequent the shores CT lakes
and ponds he raised. under glass nr less
( than 50 plants. The pIumage Of migrat-
lnr birds also contains many kinds ~ seed
which acheres To them as they stf0 20
feed or 10 steep on their way to d slant
lands Many seeds are carried a. the
stomachs OF the herbivoTous animals. and
thus make long journeys.
Some years aeo. after an unusual p-ava-
lence Of high winds from The north. the
Canaca thistle made its appearance in
localities from the Dakotas to the Gulf
OF Mexico The wheat fields OF, the north
west aad the cotton ana sugas Dlauta-
tons of the south were an planted py the
winds with this most unwelcome iTnmi-
grant
There are many seeds which. like the
thistle. depend almost entirely upon the
winds for transmission and distribution.
Some Of them, as the maple and the ash.
have wings. and literally hy on tn Mind.
The seed Of the maple tree has an elabor-
ate arrangement FOR aerial transportatio
1t has wings like those of locust or large
grassEOpper. When the seed is detached
from the tree. even if there is no breeze.
it does not fall directly TO the ground
hut, by IFS peculiar construction u aC-
quires q spiral motion which carries il at
least some several wards from beneath
its starting point When a wind s blow
ing, these seeds often twirl through the
air Tor miles before they finally sink TO
the earth to find new home and TO
found a new maple grove.
Some time ago appeared an account Of
maple trees growing 70 the heish- Of
twenty-three feet upon the summit
Of a tower 1917 feet in Greensburz De
catur county. Ind a grove of aple
trees surrounds the court house. of which
this tower forms part and the winged
seeds. borne aloft by the winds. have
taken root ana flourish upon the roof
of the tower
All varieties Of asters have seed fur
nishcd with loftv featherv pinions The
gentlest zephyr is sufficient 10 watt them
over field and meadow. and plant thorn
~ every stream ana pathway. bu- the
stornl-wind lifts them 70 the clouds and
they fly 70 far-oT regions. Millions fan
into the waters which 90 their share in
planting them on distant shores; ether
millions perish. but nature pockets never
become empty
The landeiion shows an almost human
Intelligence I'm the sudden growth Of the
flower stem when the seeds begin to ripen
TO exactly the heiCht which enables It To
rear its crown Of feathered arrows above
the surrounding growths so that the breeze
may bear the seed away and Dlart b.
Borne high upon the wind. it sails point
drst arrow-likc. and fails into the earth
in the most favorable position Tor tosinc
root. Tha country children blow the seeds
from the stalk 20 see whether mother
wants me. II the seed Us away Il one
breath, the child must hurry home.
The iewcl-weed or Wild toueh-me-not
growing luxuriantly by every stream and
pond. has at this season the ripened seeds
in little round pods which when the
breeze shakes the branches explode ike
tiny pop-guns. scattering the seed 60
considerable distarce around.
The Spanish needle an the burr-tribe.
and The "Beggar. slice have hooks or
claws which catch on every pass r-hy.
whether man or beast. and so finds means
10 distribute themselves. We bring tnes
ha1GeTs-ou. ciiuGtng 10 our clothing. from
every autumn walk through woods ard
fields. SFmotirl We pause on our w0v ~
free ourselves from those encumbrances.
sometimes we bring them home with U.s.;
in amy event SONS cf them find lodging