The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-09-29
Musical Trees

ITO the lover of nature the sounds
of the mountains and forests are notes
in the greatest symphony ever writ
ten. What the ordinary man speaks
of as buzzing bees. running water,
singing rocks. murmuring pines. or
rustling leaves, the outdoor connois-
sour recognizes rs different instru-
ments in the great orchestra" So we
read in n book about plants written by
Royal Dixon and Franklin Everett
Fitch.
Every day in every forest free
concert is in progress. /. The reper-
toire ranges all the way from the cres-
condos of the tempest to the lento sos
tenutos of summers afternoon.
Overtures, anthems, =. all have their
turn. Every twig and leaf rusties a
glad accompaniment. The running
brook sings In all voices from a piping
treble to a tolerably deep bass. The
rain pelts melodionsly on the dry
| leaves. Insects, birds and animals
make their harmonious contributions.
| The wind and the trees play an entire
| symphony by themselves.
l cry rev OIL lut lEctS dIC SCll pay
| ing. They are mostly docile instru-
ments In the hands of the wind. Each
| has its range and It's tone. The must-
cal possibilities of each vary with the
| seasons. Ordinarily, the music OF the
| trees Is soft and caressing, but there
, are times when they are called upon
to wrestle with the tempest. Under
such conditions 1t is hard to distin-
guish the notes of the individual in
| struments. a gentle breeze Is better
calculated to bring out their accom-
plishments. The pines are very notice.
able for the exceptional quality OF
their music. Like miniature harps and
guitars, their myriad needles tinkle
i with the slightest motion OF the air.
The gentle whisper Of their orchestra
ton may be heard on all but the calm
est of days. In a stiff breeze. the pine
needles become the reeds of mighty
} pipe organ.'
another small-leaved tree which
produces delicate, voice-like music II
, the oieander In Galveston, Texas, tht
, .Oleander City, under the influence OF
the breezes from the gulf of Mexico
} they play and sing all night. The
, trembling aspen and most poplars pro-
duce a clear tinkling sound which
] sounds a great deal like bells In thu
/ distance
> "The cedars. caught in the vortex o
IL n gale, whistle with the note of :
powered transmitter. The man
l grove produces grunting sound wher
e the wind plays on its aerial roots. TIL
:. branches of eims and naples flop an
/ snap with the noise of a hundred ket
Q tie drums, while the cottonwood give
I forth a weak kissing sound.
n Large leaved trees like the tropica
t palms, have the regular place of drum
Il ner assigned to them. Their heavil
moving leaves give a. very good imi
tation OF the weird effects produce
by a human master of the taps. Th
banana tree Is the bass drummer.
Y 1.-THE trees are not altogether de
pendent on their leaves for their mus
ic. Not a few play their best compo
Y sitions in the autumn and winter whe
h the leaves are on the ground. TIL
. tulip tree Is a frequent late autumn
@ performer. When Its seed pods burs
( open they disclose thousands of tin
circular instruments upon which tn
wind plays the most weird and en-
chanting music. The winter music Q
the Chinese umbrella tree Is melodi
Gus laugh. SO initiative Of human mirtl
( rs to earn for It the name of laugh
1 ing tree There is a certain simpli
j city. and dircctness OF theme abou
winter, tree music which the confuse
o. rustlingi ~ leaves prevents In sum
II mer.s-George Elliott Reviews 'Wal
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