The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-07-08


stacles toward their destination.
All life has two primal purposes Of
existence-one is self-preservation and
the other is reproduction. The tree
suoscribes to both and is governed by
both. 1t u~ndergoes d constant battle
for life from the time Of its advent
until the end. Ii must battle against
the tremendous winds, against drought.
against insect enemies. and deadly dis
eases! and now it must battle against
man himself. who is the most destruc-
tive. the most ~thoughtless and incon-
countered. Indeed. it has a lifelong
struggle for selt-preservation- Its
scheme of reproduction is the same
elemental plant OF sex attraction. that
makes possible the continuity Of all
life.
The leaf is probably the most won
derful. and IS certainly the most vital
and Indispensable factor IN the world
OF living things. without the leaf all
life must perish. 1t is the one and only
connecting link between the organic
and inorganic worlds. II is the only
thing capable OF Transforming the var
ious mineral elements into avaIlable
food material for both plant and ami
NAL The only minerals that man can
take into his system and use are wa
ter and salt. but he can use only a linn
tied quantity OF these. Every other
lement OF foo must come to him
either directly or Indirectly through
the leaI.
Every grain. every fruit. every vege-
table food product. every foot OF lum-
Der and every other vegetable product
that IS used FOR the pleasure and profit
Of man is made in the leaf. And thus
We see that the great God who created
the world and the life that inhabits it.
made OF the lowly leaf the greatest
and most wonderful fundamentally OF
that life.
Perhaps the most insidious n per-
sistent enemy of the tree is the group
OF diseases called fungi. which attack
any exposed portion Of woody tissues
and start to grow by consuming the
wood cells. a fungus disease exists in
a d%ecaying rect produces the decay.
at the proper time in the growing sea-
son the fungus produces a fruiting
body or bodies. These produce their
fruit in due time, which are called
~ ~ GROAt 4-544L al WS-SAL
and microscopic in size. are given of
in myriads and are carried by the
winds and sometimes otherwise TO the
adjacent vegetation. Most Of them fall
harmless. but some of them ind lodg-
ment in a wound where the protecting
bark has been removed. There in the
exposed woody tissues the microscopic
fungus spore starts TO grow. sending
out little threadlike tentacles from cell
to cell and breaking them down.
The fungus IS a parasite-a low. form
of vegetable life. 1t lives OF destroy
ing some other form OF life. That
which attacks the living tree destroys
the interior cells and persists until the
tree Is consumed. What we call decay
is only the result OF an active disease
which consumes the woody interior
OF the tree.
Tho interior OF a tree is often re-
ferred TO as the heart or heartwood.
This conveys an entirely wrong i'm
preston. The vital parts Of d tree
are the leaves and roots. the bark and
cambium. and outer layers OF sapwood.
1t is the outside layers Of sapwood
which are most active, and each sue
ceeding layer inward owards the cen
those near the center become practical
ly dormant
This gives the reasons for the deveI-
opment Of tree surgeons and the science
OF tree The disease creates