New-York tribune., 1906-01-28

salt water swamps and shallow sea water and
The young plants require 10 be rooted in the
mud. If the seeds simply fell and hoated on the
water they might be carried out TO and
perish. To meet this difficulty the seed begins
70 grow while still the tree. Il sends out its
embryo root IN the form of thick solid spike,
eight or ten inches long, and pointing vertically
downward. When the seed falls its weight car
TleS II TO the bottom of the shallow water, and
the spike is driven firmly into the mud. The
young plant has set itself and has simply TO 60
on growing. Two interesting examples occur in
the British flora The pretty little ivy leaved
loadhaN which grows on old walls, wants to
lodge its seeds in the hollOws and cavities Of the
mortar. But it must needs keep its flowers on
lht outside, 10 bask IN the sunshine and spread
a banquet for the bee. So, as soon the flowers
give place 10 seeds, the flower stalks turn right
back and carry the seedpods inside so that they
may shed their seeds into the wall And then
there is that pretty water butterCup, or crow
foot whose white flowers star the ponds in
spring. Its seeds must be sown in the mud at
Jhe bottom OF the pond So, as soon as the
Towering is over, the stalks turn right over and
carry The seeds down into the required germi-
mating place.
The manRrove is not the only plant in which
the problem Of dispersal is solved by the seeds
beginning TO grow on the parent tree. In East
S7TTsu7 81 81 WAlIH seiInlnate on me parent plant
Here II IS the seed leaves which grow first
instead OF the root These form a sort Of para
chute, by means Of which the young plants
waited through the air to suitable spots Some
plants prefer 10 do their travelling by sea If
they are good sailors, that IS. if they can float
and stand long immersion in salt water, this
IS very effective way Of reaching the ends OF
the earth Thus the seeds Of a West Indian
plant have been picked up in the Hebrides
having travelled there the Gulf Stream
They have even been picked up on the bleak
shores Of Spitzbergen. In these cases the To-
cality has proved unfavorable. but they show
how far plants may travel IN this way. Cocoa
nur palms fringe the shores in tropical regions.
Blown from the trees. the cocoanuts float about
in the waters. And when. through the labors
of the coral pOlVpe. the exertOns Of the sub
marine volcano, a new island rises in the ocean.
then sooner or later. one Of these ocean waits
is Joined by others and presently the new land
has its fringe Of palm trees. The great double
COCOanut, the COCO-de- Mer. was known as an
ocean traveller long before the discovery Of it's
beaker northern lands these travellers from
the tropics have not lost their power Of ger
minating. The sea beam" a waif from the
West Indies often cast our shores by the
from seeds picked up on the Azores. LinnRus.
the Swedish bOtaniSt, again knew Of cases
where plants had been reared from seeds Of
tropical plants cast ashore on his own northern
land The seeds Of other plants are provided
with hooks or brisJles, by which they adhere to
the fur Of animals. Among native plants bur
dock, common aVens and goose grass travel in
tnls way. The wool Staplers Of ElbPuf in
France, used 10 find seeds OF medicaga entangled
IN ffe neeces which they imported from Brazil
on being Gown these seeds, in spite Of their long
Journey, were found to grow. Other plants
travel with the birds. And since in their annual
immigrations many species cover immense dis
tances-in some cases from North Polar to
South Polar distriCts-seeds may be scattered
far and wide by their means. Again. one Of the
most puzZlin2 facts in the botany Of Ireland
is the occurrence Of one or two American plants.
And at rare intervals certain species Of American
birds shot in the same country. Put these
two facts together. and the former IS perhaps.
explaine1.-London STANDARD