THE KINDLY FRUITS OF THE EARTH 



One Oak Tree casts a thousand acorns to the 

 ground; unless these are planted away from 

 the parent shade not one will survive to produce 

 a tree. The hungry children of the wild note 

 the feast; among them the squirrel not only 

 satisfies his present needs, he looks to the future, 

 and so day after day he diligently takes away 

 acorns and buries them against his time of need. 

 Some of these he recovers, others he forgets, 

 and these forgotten ones in due time sprout 

 and a few may achieve treehood. Of the year's 

 crop a scanty half-dozen may transmit the line; 

 in the meantime the hungry wildlings have 

 been abundantly and generously fed. 



A Dandelion lifts its fairy globe of seeds into 

 the light and air. A passing bird seizing one 

 sets others free, and the wind takes up a tiny 

 brown seed poised on its silver wings and away 

 it goes, careless and heedless, toward its des- 

 tiny. 



The berry offers its delicious pulp in return 

 for a ride. The bird accepts and the seed 

 dropped from its beak, or voided undigested, 



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