The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-01-13

are alive, yet it is possible they do not
fully appreciate the fact that the line
which separates them from other liv-
ing things is so narrow and therefore
the common laws which forbid cruelty
to other living things are disregarded
in the treatment of trees.
There is a fairly good reason for
such diregard. An animal has a ner-
vous system which serves as a pro-
lection against injury, and therefore
when it is wounded it shows it by ex-
pressions of pain and hence such ex-
pressions of suffering have taught us
to not unnecessarily wound, injure or
maltreat any form of animal life. but
trees have no such protection against
injury, they cannot resent it, nor can
they escape it, if it comes they must
endure 1t.
The Ancients had a far higher re-
gard for trees than we have. The Anci-
ent Greeks believed that the gods
dwelt in the forests, and groves of GER
tain trees were planted and consecrat-
ed to the gods, and it was a very seri-
Ouc OhSAoC W Sut VI "Ouhu q lkCC LII
such a sacred grove. The oak in Greek
Mythology was sacred to Jove, for un-
der it's shadow the god was said to
have been born, and in Morse Mytholo-
gy it was Thors tree, and it was the
custom of the ancient Norsemen to
build their homes in such a way that
each would enclose the trunk of liv-
ing Oak.
or course science has driven the
Nymphs away from the forest springs,
the Lryads no longer inhabit the trees
and the forests are no longer the
abodes of the gods, but with them has
gone a certain care and respect which
these resources of nature should still
have
While trees are no longer regarded
as being the habitations of spirits yet
they certainly are the habitations of
life. and the line that separates tree
life from animal life is not SO broad
as 1t may seem. In all the essentials
of physical life it is had to tell where
one form differs from another. A tree
like any other form of life has a be-
ginning. a period of infancy when its
life is dependent on the parent tree, a
period of youth and rapid growth and
preparation, a period of maturity in
which it does three work. some times
for centuries. Then comes decline and
death and decay The Germans have
their system Of forestry so we'll work
ed out that they know exactly when a
tree reaches maturity. 1t will not yield
as good lumber if cut before or after
this time.
During the entire life of trees like
to be destroyed either by disease or &C
cident and to a certain extent they are
subject to training. II a tree is taken
from the forest and planted in lawn
or street 1t is likely to retain the hab-
it's it learned in the forest, IL raised in
the nursery it may be taught other
habits which will suit it better for
lawn or street purposes.
In its respiration tree takes from
the air and gives back to it exactly the
same gases as an animal. The res.
piratory apparatus is not the same but
respiration is. The oxygen absorbed
by a tree in breathing performs the
same function in the tissues Of tree
is II does in ours. The fact that a tree
grows proves that it consumes food,
and about the only difference between
the food OF a tree and that of a man
Is this: A tree makes its food be-
fore it consumes II while a man does
not. A man. however skillful he may
be in chemistry and mathematics can
not make an apple. When . man con-
sumes food it must be digested, SO it
must be in a tree and in each case
after digestion it is thrown into a
Transporting current to be carried
wherever 1t Is needed for growth or
repair.
This current in the one case is call
ed blood. in the other sap. There isn't
much difference between them. They
arc more like than unlike. The ply
steal basis Of trees life or of an ami
malls life IL called protoplasm. II
this protoplasm be taken from the cell
Of an animal and compared with the
same taken from the cell of q plant
neither the microscope nor chemical
analysis can show any difference.