Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-02-03

diameter OF Tue ceeW Va
curious. too, that the earliest OF Ine
TYNE did not after all have cones. Inc
fr,,it was more like that OF the ginko,
the maidenhair tree Of Japan, pianted
now commonly in parks. Not unui art
er the close Of the carbonirerous Wv
true cones appear, perhaps not uh'"
the jurassic following. ,.,
But perchance the reader py 'nis
fine asks how we can tell about tnese
things so long gone by. what KINDS OF
trees they were and how they grew
and where. The answer Is twofoid-
first. we know past ages only by the
petrified remnants that lie buried IN
the rocks. like other fossils-shells, Tor
instance-of which we hear so much
and. second. we understand such fos-
sils only by comparison with existing
fora. For example, existing conifers
show q microscopic structure In their
wood. a structure absolutely definite.
When specimens Of petriied WOOD
come before us, especially II sllicihed'
the structure is perfectly preserved.
and If coniferous we know 1t as well
as II we saw it grow. Now. fossil
wood is comparatively abundant, from
the devonian, and especially the car
boniferous, on down through all over
living formations. Fossil fruits and
flowers there also are, all too rare, but
now and then a few are found, occa-
sionally even the fruit still hanging 10
the branch on which it grew. so that
the identity is sure.
But the finest witnesses we have or
ancient forests are those which marx
the advent of deciduous trees. The
broad, fiat leaf lends itself perfectly TO
fosslization. Its imprint, once 1t falls
in favorable position, is stereotyped'
craven upon the rocks forever Now
| the whole series of cretaceOus rocks Is
filled with leaf impressions, beginning
only few in the lowest stratum. Inc
upper layers are sometimes packed us
If the wind strewn foliage had condl'
toned in some sort the whole rocky
deposition. The leaf Of course has van
ished. but its impress still remains, its
| margin. its every vein and veinlet, the
very glands sometimes that lent their
odors to the air in days so long gone
by. Needless to say, many OF these
forest leaves are strange. unlike any
now driven by the autumn winds, ana
vet some of them are remarkably ia
miliar in appearance. Here are hazel
leaves and walnut leaves and poplar
leaves. You would have said that they
had but fallen from their twigs last
year. You recognize them. They are
| no doubt wanuts, hazels, poplars. 1et
they are not quite the leaves OF our
modern trees. The botanist would
write them different species. Some
| times the fossils indicate genera no
longer extant OH the continent where
the fossils lie. Thus our North Ameri-
can rocks afford US cinnamon leaves In
rich abundance, but there are no Gin
namons growing now on all this side
of the world. Our nearest representa-
tiyes are the laurels and the sassafras.
We have already in these chapters re-
ferred to the tulip tree, glorious tree,
but the only lone species Of the genus
now on earth. But in cretaceous times
tulip trees flourshed all over the north
ern world, many species in this country
and in Europe, ranging south as far as
italy and north as far as Greenland.
In fact, everything seems to indicate
that for our northern world at least the
forests OF cretaceous times were richer,
more varied. more extended and In ey-
cry way finer than those we know to-
day. These trees were the immediate
ancestors Of those we know, the same,
vet not quite the same. Conditions on
the earth have changed since forests
were at their prime. the glory of the
world. Vegetation entered first upon
life's scene and eliminated first. cul-
minated in the deciduouS forests that
cast their leaves through countless
generations along the shores Of the
cretaceous seas With the close of the
cretaceous race OF terrestrial animals
first appears, competitors Of the forest;
new factor in environment. changing
from that time on the entire trend OF
biologic differentiation. These were
the mammals, the elimination OF
earth's fauna in the progress Of the
ages, until at the last, in these most re-
cent times, the destinies Of the forest
and Of the animal world as well rest In
the hands of single creature, the high.
est mammal, the god Of this lower
world. His name is man!
copyright 1902. by Lewis D. sampson.l