The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-18

The valleys and the hilltope have been
excellently photographed for this work,
and the plates OF deep forest growth
are remarkably fine.
I.
We cannot better arrive at a simple
presentation OF the problems Of the bal
nnce Of nature than by reciting briefly
the problem of the mongoos, an excel
lent introduction to the theme, since II
has involved the question Of balance
sheets and the failure of investment
and such like seduels as will convince
the least scientific of men that the dis
cussion has economic value.
All forces OF nature tend to como to a
condition OF equilibrium; when the hui
man factor gets in the way OF this
process II Is not nature which is wholly
checked. At the time OF its first occu-
patton by the alien culture from Europe
Jamaica may be considered to have been
in natural poise. The. newcomers had
their living to make, the soil must he
made to yield such produce as would
pay the highest return upon the capital
invested and the labor employed. ia
maica was set to canes, a most promis-
ing crop. and for a time a most success
full one. But the clearing Of the natural
growth for the cane fields the introduce
| ton OF a foreign plant element in such
mass. upset the Jamaican poise. tip
to that time Jamaica had had only so
many rats. only such tribe OF rats as
| Jamaica could tolerate. with the white
exploiters OF the soil came inevitably ths
flercer rats of northern Europe, quite as
adventurous colonizers as the men in
whose company they came. In the
Juicy canes the rats found new food.
The pest increased with such rapidity
that long before an equilibrium could he
established between the rats and tho
canes a thriving industry was brought
to the very edge OF ruin. To cope with
| the plague of rats the jamaican rlant-
ers introduced the mongoos from india
This pugnaclous animal soon reduced
/ tine list OF the rats below the danger
/ line; II was equally eflicacious with the
! indigenous snakes. The disturbance Of
| balance next appeared in the increase
of bird life, introducing a new series Of
/ economic disadvantages. for in the con-
dillon Of former poise the snakes robbed
sufficient Of the nests Of the birds to
/ keep that pest down. Now Jamaica has
its newer problem Of destructive birds
and inconvenient mongoos and human
: ity, which soon lost the direction 81 the
powers which It had lie; loose IS paying
a st!ff price for dcranging nature.
The theme Of Mr.. Shreve's jamaican
research IS not addressed upon the dis
turbed cqu!lbr um; IL e directed upon
the conditions of greater vegetation on
the sites where Il has been preserved
from recent modification. His aim has
been TO present the picture of the bal
ance Of nature and 10 discover the prin-
ciples and 10 elucidate the conditions
in which this equilibrium suhsists. To
do this successfully ne has had to
examine the forest as a vcgetal result
ant OF certain conditions fixed with
considerable permanence n the soil a.
the feeding place OF plant life. and ~
certain other conditions Of the atmos-
phere whose permanerce rests upon
terrestrial physics in tho She. Of air
which surrounds the globe and these
again in planetary astronomy. This
we readily see is far different from the
botany recently taught in our schools.
As q curiosity Of science we can re-
call the o1anCril and the digyn!a Of
the matrimonial, botany of Lime We
have a faint impression that tho Gray's
botany Of half century ago-who does
not recall the beginning of the science
syncopated into How Plants Grow
Gray"?-has been replaced by an
anonymous thing Cagel nature study.
Put older heads well rememhcr the
problem Il the Dutchman's brooches.
the pains 10 settle whether IL was n
phanerogam or Il cryptogim, whether
Il was oXocenous or ead1gerous then
the pulling out the .'ameus in The in
terests of sc.ence-horr.d cruelty when
4 r
Of the ovary 10 count seeds and 10 de
G. De upoa the position OF the placenta
and host ~ Latin words which pc ssed
hiissful.y uH"ompreherded save as
botany finally the triumph Of running
It down 20 D'ccntr7 cucufl1ria /. and
IN" alternative DiCiVtrr
Mr. Sh~ave's botany Gca.s hu. briefly
with the natural key and the JOYS If
!tcntihoat.on. He finishes that sect. on
up in li'tl" moro than three pages =
tabulation ot the hinoma,s Of the plants
Of the Jamaican highlands with a
wider vision he intcrlaces his forest
with the earth in which its roots are
set. with the heavens to which lis sum
mts struggle through sluggish shad-
ows with the rain and the dew and the
fog which the leaves and branches
catch and hold Such botany begins
far down in geology; it rises high ur
into meteoro!oey; in every way It deals
with the formative side Of geoyra phy
II is practical expression OF tho
maxim that all things work together
for good; r. suggests that great lesson
that when we go safely with tho leas,
. disturbance Of what nature has found
. In rs conservatism to Yield the best
results we 20 most surely N may nc
that to those who have passed out III
the schools and therefore are little In
, touch with the work Of Investigation
this will seem not only a new hut a
very rich sort Of botany.
IT.
Burnham Beeches types the resultant
81 cumulated forces, the balanced nature
: of soil and climate still further actet
S upon by human needs. Its arcades clear
p OF underground, its tree columns reared
, in naves such as have suggested Il
. pOr,oypop ba