Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-06-23
MAN AND NATURE.

II is not easy TO apprehcnd the fact
That human life on the globe is de
pendent upon such Incidents as coon.
Grafton with birds or the collateral
evolution of certain plants. Yet ii has
been asserted by scientists thai mi
man life, If 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 fam
HES. Wherever we turn We find uur-
selves in interdependrnt relations
with these four allies. The palm
alone, with its ancient representa-
lives in the coal era gives Ms not few
er than 1000 varieties of valuable
fruits and fibrcs The solanmm fam
lily gives US the potato. The tomato
and tobacco; the cereal family gives
tis rice on which one-thlrd OF the Tssec
mostly subsists; oats and corn for
ourselves and our domestlcated ami
mails, as well as wheat and rye for
bread, and the true grasses for ami.
mails. These last are simply unde.
yeloped cereals. The rose family
gives us nearly all the fruit in our or
chards and gardens, as well as the
Doblest of the flowers that adorn our
lawns. Some representatives. of each
one of these families are found over
the larger part OF the habltable globe.
An important evolution is still 60
ing on in plant life. We are more
likely, however, to note the appear
ance of noxious plants than the de.
velOpment Of those of sterling merit.
These very weeds indicate struggle
for existence. in which struggle the
oversight of man is required. Out of
the crowding occasionally comes a
plant of marvellous beneficence. like
the potato. In fact, the greater part
Of human effort is exerted in select
ing from what nature produces and
destroying the poorer product. Most
pf the finer apples, plums and cherries
could not have struggled into dom
nance over the wild and the grabbed
fruit without our assistance We are
still getting on with second rate
things in our gardens and orchards,
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 of new and finer varieties
OF fruit. but for the Inspiration which
he Is giving 10 the people every where
10 experiment for themselves and To
toll {. hand "a agnItItlnn
Occasionally some plant demon
strates remarkable power, aggressive
and defensive. | nthe way of suryiy-
ing among inferior things. Alfalfa.
which was known by the Greeks and
Romans. has suddenly been found To
be. under favorable conditions. the
greatest forage plant In the world.
II Is a leguminous plant and Il per-
| cnnial belonging to the pea family.
On MS roots are little nodules. as
there are on all the beans and cloyers.
enabling them TO take nitrogen direct
y from the air. In this way they are
all of them adding heterogeneous and
fertlllzing material to the soil. Al
falfa hay has been proved 10 be 40
per cent DellfT IMAM cof'i anu W"
per cent better than timothy grass In
Colorado alfalfa can be cut four times
| In n season, and in our eastern states
| three times. Ploughlng 1t under as a
| manurial 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 IA in
| . aL nj tltI.
air The large. long roots work down
into The subsoil to II great depth. and
serve much AZ snbsoil plough. Roots
| have been accurately measured In
New Mexico that showed a growth OF
32 feet in length Here, then, we have
a plant suddenly brought into notice
| which is not an exhaustive crop. how