New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-31
MAN AND NATURE.

MAN AND NATURE.
II is not easy to apprehend the fact that
human life on the globe is dependent upon such
incidents as cooperation with birds or the col
lateral evolution of certain plants. Yet 1t has
Teen asserted by scientists that human life, II
possible at all on the globe would be at very
low stage but for the coexistence Of three or
four families OF plants-the cereal. the solanum'
the palm and the rose families. Wherever we
turn we find ourselves in interdependent re4a-
tons with these four allies The palm alone,
with its ancient representatives in the coal era
gives us not fewer than one thousand varieties
of valuable fruits aud tibres. The soianum
family gives us the potato, the tomato and to-
bacco; the cereal family gives us rice, on which
One-third Of the race mostly subsists; oats ana
corn for ourselves and our domesticated AMI
mails. as we'll as wheat and rye for bread, ana
the true grasses for animals These last are
simply undeveloped cereals. The rose family
gives us nearly all the fruits in orchards and
gardens, as well as the nobest or the flowers
that adorn our lawns Some representatives Of
each one Of these families are found over the
larger part of the habitable globe
An important evolution IS still going on In
plant life We are more likely however,
10 note the appearance Of noxious plants
than the development Of those of sterling merit.
These very weeds indicate a struggle for exist
ence, in which struggle the oversight Of man IS
required. Out Of the crowding occasionally
comes a plant OF marvellous benehcence, like
the potato In fact the greater part Of human
effort is exerted in selecting from what nature
produces and destroying the poorer product.
Most OF the finer apples plums and cherries
could not have struggled into dominance over the
wild and the Grabbed fruit without our assist
ance. We are still getting with second rate
things in our gardens and orchards because we
have not had wit enough TO prevent some of
the choicest from being lost. The work of Mr.
Burbank in California is valuable not only for
what he IS directly producing for us in the way
Q: new and finer varieties OF fruit, but for the
inspiration which he is giving TO the people
everywhere to experiment for themselves and
10 take a hand in evolution.
Occasionally some plant demonstrates re-
markable power aggressive and defensive in
the way of surviving among inferior things
Alfalfa, which was known by the Greeks and
Romans, has suddenly been found 10 be, under
favorable conditions, the greatest forage plant
in the world 1t is a leguminous plant and a
perennial, belonging toe the pea family. On
It's roots are little nodueS, as there are on all
the beans and clovers, enabling them 10
take nitrogen directly from the air In
this way they are all OF them adding nitrog-
enous and fertilzing material to the soil Al
falfa hay has been proved to he 10 per cent
timothy grass. In Colorado alfalfa can be cut
four times in season. and in our Eastern
States three times. Plouehng ii under MS =
nanurial agent and soil restorative has proved
to be Of great value to all sorts of land 1t is
rich In phOsphOric acid, in potash and lime as
well as in the nitrogen which it takes from the
air. The large, long roots work down into the
subsOil TO "A great depth, and serve much rs n
subSOil plough. Roots have been accurately
r,.aa NOD NJ,
of thirty-two feet in length Here. then. we
have plant suddenly brought into notice which
is not an exhaustive crop. however long con
tlnued may be its occupation of the soil and at
the same time, is forage plant that consider
ably surpasses anything before known Al
falfa hay is used for fattenlng sheep. is = first
rate milk producer, while horses can live on If
all the year around One acre will sustain if
teen hogs from spring to fall This wonderful
plant was brought into Mexico bv the eorIr
Spanish conquerors, who, however. knew little
OF its great value. 1t did not reach Colorado
until 1862, and has hardly been known in the
Eastern States more than ten to fifteen years.
Alfalfa is a capital example of what NAV ~
expected 10 appear in vegetable life at any
time as an adjunct of human evolution II will
alone nearly revOutioniZp stock raising It's in
fluence upon the production of honey will he
almost as marked its effect on forage
Washington announces that by careful experi-
mentatlon it has succeeded in producing an
orange hardy enough to be grown in our North
ern States. This fruit is not large nor Is If
what its producers consider ideal, but if is
n fruit on the road of evolution The Japanese
persimmOn. which introduced into the
United States about twenty years ago has not
proved TO be hardy north of the Ohio River
but it has opened the eyes of our pomologists
TO the fact that in own native perSimmon
we have not finished fruit, hut something de-
cidedly open to betterment The ounce, Also
which has long remained as a semfastrin-
gent fruit, good only for preserves and flavor
Ing, is in the hands of enthusiasts. who are
beginning to produce from it varieties suitable
for dessert. Nature has taken us deeply into
her secrets Betterment has become the law of
civilization ITO do well as our fathers we
must do better" To live as happily as they, we