44 NOTES ON BRITISH ORCHIDS. [May 



named that are blown abroad by the winds. Yet, where an acorn 

 is dropped on the gronnd it is ahnost sure to grow. The seeds of 

 the other kinds are like those " dropped in thorny places where the 

 thorns spring up and choke them." Not so with the acorn. Its 

 strong radicle will drill its way down into tlie ground through the 

 vegetation and between the interlacing roots of other trees near the 

 surface, extending its tap-root over a foot in depth when its stem 

 is not two inches above ground. There it will " bide its time," 

 year after year, often in dense shade, going on slowly but surely 

 until it has killed out a space about it, and then it will force out 

 side roots to feed on the decayed vegetation and decayed roots in 

 the vicinity. Should cattle or deer tramp it down, it will throw a 

 stronger shoot from the collar. Should a fire sweep through the 

 forest, unless it burns into the ground below this collar, the oak 

 wall throw up a stronger shoot than ever. Now it has the strongest 

 start of any tree in the new growth. It is no longer in the shade. 

 Side roots are now thrown out and meet with little opposition, and 

 the tap-root, having served its purpose, dwindles away. 



Darwin said long ago that the oak was driving the pine to the 

 sands. They are driving other trees as well whenever they have an 

 even chance. They are creeping out into the prairies and covering 

 unoccupied grounds in the West wherever it is not too wet or too 

 sandy for them to grow. Thousands of acres are now covered with 

 young oaks where they did not grow forty years ago. I can call 

 tracts to mind now that forty years ago were too moist for oaks, 

 but, having gradually become drier, are now clothed with these trees 

 that have crept in inch by inch. Facts like these have induced us 

 to discontinue the growing of oak seedlings for sale. We believe 

 that oak timber will be plentiful when other kinds are scarce. — 

 Philadelphia Press. 

 Wavkegan, III. 



NOTUS ON' BRITISH ORCHIDS. 



BY A. D. "WEBSTER. 

 No. I. 



THEliE are few plants that have received less attention, and 

 about which greater ignorance prevails, than our native 

 orchids. This is all the more to be wondered at when we consider 

 the l)eauty and mimicry of flowers displayed by many of the species, 

 as well as the ease with whicli, as garden plants, the majority may be 



