Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-05-23

aspiration in tree. The wind tries
very hard to bend the trees and some
times succeeds. The light makes the
trees grow straight, the branches
lengthen and as IL does not reach the
inner recesses of the tree, that part is
dark and leafiess.
Their food comes from the soil and
the air, while the roots are fed by
water.
In one year this is what an elm tree
accomplishes. In March there are
only buds on the twigs with leaf scar
below each one, April the largest buds
cast of their scales and blossoms
open, May the fruit ripens and falls
on while the slenderer buds open into
leafy shoots.
During the summer the shoots
| lengthen which produce leaves set
| close together, and as they unfold.
the stems between these leaves elon-
gate, In October the tree is bare and
long twigs, each set with many buds.
are borne at points where In March
there stood only solitary buds. The
tree has added TO the heighth and
breadth of It's crown by the exact
length of these new shoots. Under.
ground the roots have made seasons
growth.
They have no buds, nor any regular
intervals OF branching as the top has
but they lengthen in any direction
where it is possible, and where they
cross there they interlock and grow
fast. The trunk grows in thickness.
A new layer of woody tissue and one
OF bark is formed each year by cam
brium which lies under bark Roots
grow by annual rings. A trees grow
ing season begins with the thawing of
the ground and the warming of the
air in early spring. Roots absorb wa.
ter supplied to soil by the thawing
of the frozen ground. melting of SHOWS
and falling of spring rains.
Leaves take charge of the nourish-
ment of the tree as soon as they open
The season for growing nearly always
ends before midsummer as the leaves
are battered and eaten by insects.
Buds are to be prepared for winter
the shoots must be hardened and the
new wood must be ripened. Prepara
ton for winter takes the place of fur
ther growing. The twigs. stems and
roots are stored with food and the
tree takes in all the nutritious parts
OF every leaf before II casts II off
There are some historic trees in the
east that measure one hundred feet
and more in height with circumfer
Il %.
trees record from two thousand to four
thousand years of growth and the esti
mated age of some living trees Is five
thousand.
The reason a tree doesn't live for
ever is because II accumulates infirm-
tiles with years. and death sooner or
later overtakes 1t. A tree Is de-
pendent creature. 1t will starye or
die of thirst II the soil is hard ana
dry under 1t. Caterpilars may eat its
foliage. Plant lice and scale bugs may
suck its juices. Beetles may tunnel
under bark and into the wood. Some
times the air is laden with germs of
tree diseases. Another enemy is the
wind because every broken limb of
fers a lodging place for spores of
fungi, which may by slow degrees re-
duce it to a hollow shell.
Il suppose" said the plain pedron,
you are often deceived by apparent
iy deserving objects of charity whom
you quietly help"
"Yes, indeed replied the great phi
lanthropist, "it's Just like throwing
money away. The very people you
think will advertise you most never
say a word about it."-Philadelphia
Press.