The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1906-11-22

y
and. A. every little man or woman who
owns a paint box knows, these two
colors together make green. Now,
wheB the tree is getting ready for is
winter sleep these two substances sep.
ars'e. the blue disappears and the vel
low is left 10 give IL color 10 the leaf.
The red color il not quite SO easy 10
explain, but il Is produced by the waste
mineral matter which has been collect
ing in the tree since last spring. This
i taken mp by the roots in the water
which il is their business 10 supply 10
the tree, and is stored chiefly in the
leaves, where il is very much in the
way, but partly through the whole tree.
Now, before the leaves fall the tree
takes from the leaves everything il
wants 10 keep and gives to them every
teing il wants TO get rid Of, and tie
collection Of all this waste matter in the
leaves has much to do with their color
ing. For this reason the color is most
beautiful after rainy summer, provid-
ed the fall is Of the right kind. In
rainy weather there is great deal OF
water for the roots 10 take up, and the
more water taken into the tree the more
mineral matter is stored mp TO color the
leaves in the fall.
The only color that Jack Frost has
anything 10 do with is dark brown
That is the color Of death. When the
delicate cells Of tho leaves are frozen
they die and turn brown.
The falling Of the leaves is another
thing for which Jack Frost is usually
held responsible, but with which he has
nothing, or at least very little, to do.
Trees shed their leaves in countries
whore il never freezes at all. and in the
North a great many fall before the frost
comes. Neither is il the autumn winds
which make them fall, though they help
a little, like the frost. A wind strong
enough 10 blow the leaves off would
take the twigs, too, and very likely up
root the tree.
The leaves fall simply because the
tree cuts them off. II has no use for
leaves in winter. 1t doesn't expect to
eat during the winter sleep, and there.
fore does not need the food which the |
leaves manufacture, and though it al
ways has 10 breathe it can breathe |
through its roots and bark, just as hui
man beings can breathe through their
skins.
Besides being useless. the leaves
would become dangerous IL left on dur
ing the winter, as they would catch the
snow and wind, and thus break the
twigs and branches. Sometimes an
early snow finds the trees unprcpared,
and then they have very hard time
indeed. The snow collects on the leaves
and the weight breaks of great
branches as thick as ones arm. This
would happen every year il the tree
had not learned 10 take of its summer
clothes in good time.
The cutting-off process begins when
summer is at its height. Away back
in the dog days the trees began TO
grow some cork cells between the leaf
stem aud the twig, This was to pre-
vent an open wound when the leaf
should fall, for a tree can be wounded
just like an animal. Then, above the
cork seal il grew a layer Of another
kind of cells. This is called the layer
of separation, or entting-of layer, and
can easily be seen on the blackberry.
where it forms yellowish green ring
on the purple leaf stalk.
There are three rows of cells in this
cutting.oif layer, and after while the
middle one dissolves into mucilage. so
that there is nothing left 10 hold the
leaf 10 the twig except some woody
threads which pass through the cutting
of layer and through the layer of cork.
Then the cells that are left begin TO
swell, and push the leaf stem away
from the twig, until at last puff Of
wind or frosty night snaps the threads
and the leaf falls 10 the ground. The
reason frosty nights help in this work
d because they freeze the water that
collects in the cutting-off layer. OF
course the little folks all know that
shen water freezes il expands, so when
he water freezes in the eutting-off layer
he leaf stem is pushed harder than
syer. After frosty nights in the late
all. therefore, there is apt 10 be a great
all Of leaves. That IL why people say
hal the frost makes them fall. but II
he tree had not almost cut them of
already the frost would not do il, and
! great many fall without any help Z
r,ip. either frost or winds Al
'hfier the leaves fall some trees cover
Up the ends 81 the broken threads with
rum, as can easily be seen on the horse
ihesinu,. Here the cork seals that
,row al the base 81 The leaf stalks are
haped something ike horseshoes. and
be Eam covered ends Of The broken
threads look like the nails in The horse.
hoe.
MANY srFTERERs from nasal caiarrh
az they get splendid results by usiDg