394 



ARBORICULTURE 



Water Oak (Quercus Aquatica) 

 Residence of Mrs. D. G. Milliken, New Orleans, La. 



How Forests Increase. 



SOME TREE SPECIES NEVER FORM DIS 

 TINCT FORESTS. 



Nature has made provision for the 

 abundant reproduction of the forests, 

 and thus asserting their great import- 

 ance, by enabhng the trees to produce 

 immense quantities of seeds, not only 

 for reforesting the earth, but also to sup- 

 ply food for animal nature, and in some 

 tree species, a rapid increase by suckers 

 from the roots or from the stump. Be- 

 sides, some are enabled to gro"w from 

 parts of the branches which may have 

 been detached by accident or other- 

 wise. 



Again, the seeds of certain trees are 

 provided with wings of various kinds 



by which they are conveyed to greater 

 or less distance by the w^ind. 



In the frozen north, these winged 

 seeds are skidded along over the ice 

 and snow by force of the w^ind. 



Some seedi float upon the water 

 and are transported by its current. 

 Others, too heavy to float or be moved 

 by the w^inds, are given an edible 

 character, so that birds and animals 

 may transfer them to other localities. 



The seeds of the Linden are append- 

 ed to a leaf-like tract. These are blown 

 very short distances from the parent 

 tree, and thus. Linden does not form 

 distinct forests, but occurs sparingly 

 among other trees. 



The Ficus, or rubber trees, are in 

 places epiphytic, their seeds being 

 lodged in the bark or scales of other 



