CHAPTER = 
HOW PLANTS SPREAD AND MULTIPLY 
So far we have dealt with the efforts of the plant to 
secure its own living and the working of the individual ; 
we may now turn to the various ways in which plants 
fight for the increase and prosperity of their families. 
Big as the world may seem, there is only a limited 
amount of suitable nourishment, and there is a vast 
amount of competition for it. Even in the individual 
fight one may see how fierce the struggle is. The grass 
on the tennis lawn is crushed out of existence by the 
invading plantain, its flat rosette of leaves hug close 
down upon the earth, and even the dandelions and 
daisies that decorate the lawn are crowding out the 
weaker turf, and in the flower beds the plants, unless 
the gardener comes to the rescue, would soon be choked 
by the more vigorous weeds that are constantly intruding, 
unasked and uninvited. Again, one may notice the bare 
soil beneath close-crowded trees. The trees cut off so 
much sunlight that the plants beneath have no outside 
encouragement to set in motion the machinery of their 
chlorophyll corpuscles. The trees themselves, if too 
closely planted, have to fight for the sunlight, and 
devote their energies to growing tall and thin, in order 
that they may overtop their fellows. 
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