The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-03-02
Seeds That Travel on The Winds.
From the New York Sun


Not many years ago fertile re-
gion of country was suddenly devas-
tated by the eruption of volcano.
Every vestige of its plant life was
destroyed by the molten lava and
hot ashes. Today this region is al
most thickIy covered with a new
growth of vegetation. There are
many ways by which the seeds Of
plants are carried great distances to
spring into new life where conditions
are favorable.
1t has even been suggested that
perhaps the germs of life may be car
ried about into stellar regions by the
pressure of light. 1t is a we'll known
fact that particles having a certain
area in proportion to their mass can
be driven through a vacuum by the
pressure of light alone.
Among the most curious methods
of seed distribution are those seeds
which are carried through the air
on wings, such as the maple, which
has two wings, and the catalpa, the
elm, the ash and the pine. These
seeds do not flap their wings like
birds, but depend altogether upon the
force of the wind to carry them
along. Other floating seeds are the
milkweed, thistle and dandelion.
The milkweed seeds are concealed
in a pod which breaks open and ex-
poses them to the wind. Up they go
through the air, each seed carried by
ball of silky down the threads OF
which are so frail and diaphanous
that one is hardly prepared for their
appearance under the microscope.
Each thread turns out to be sepa-
rate tube ribbed with dark veinllke
streaks arranged in an irregular
manner. When mllkweed poo
bursts open it is much like NINA
ture aero meet in which scores OF
white craft soar up into the morn
ing wind. One may marvel at the
economical arrangement of the tubes
of down, so frail do they seem, to
carry the heavy looking seed.
Anv one crossing the Great Plains
in the autumn will notice stacks
of drv looking weeds piled up on one
side of the fences When we know
that the wind drives them there it is
easy to see which way the wind blows
in such regions as Kansas and south
ern Nebraska. They are the cele-
brated tumbleweed family. AS they
| tumble they scatter their seeds and
become a great source of annoy
ance to the farmers. The plant when
crown is about twenty inches hlgh,
with light green leaves and green
flowers crowded together IN clusters.
If all the seeds that are carried ABOUT
bv the wind were to find Favorable
surroundings and grow to maturity
in a surprisingly short time the earth
would be overwhelmed with certain
forms of plant life. 1t has been es-
timated, for instance, that a single
frond of a certain fern turns loose
tn the wind four thousand million
SHORES. Each spore floats with the
SLIGHTEST breeze and will produce
whole nlant if conditions are favor
able These are enough to cover TWO
million acres of land. Few OF US
realize the productivity of the COM
mon mushroom. One thousand acres
could be covered by the spores OF one
single fungus. H.
The important part played by the
weather as a means of preventing
the too rapid development of the
plant life of the world can be reallzeu
only when we consider the vast num-
Der of seeds produced. II condlIiohs
of the atmosphere favored, more
even temperature all over the EARN,
as waq probably the condition IN tne
earIv history of the planet, there
would be fewer varieties OF plant
life because the more rapidly pro
ducinr plants would crowd out the
Ceytain tropical plants and. ferns
would he found in the frigid zones II
the ea~th's atmosphere possessed