CHAPTER VII 



HIGH MOUNTAINS, ARCTIC SNOWS 



The life of a cherry tree— Cherries in March— Flowering of gorse — 

 Chickweed's descendants — Forest fires in Africa— Spring passing 

 from Italy to the frozen North — Life in the Arctic — Dwarfs — Snow- 

 melting soldanellas — Highland Arctic- Alpine plants — Their history — 

 Arctic Britain— Edelweiss— An Alpine garden. 



IT is impossible to understand and very difficult to explain 

 the sort of life and consciousness which is enjoyed by 

 plants. 



That they do live is obvious ; we know instinctively that 

 they enjoy fine weather in summer and gentle showers in 

 spring, but we cannot prove it. 



Much of a plant's life is concealed and hidden from us. 

 Even the few explanations which have been given by certain 

 observers are by no means generally accepted. 



This is true even as regards the case of the Cherry tree, 

 which has been experimented with, and fought over and 

 argued about by botanists, and yet we only know a very 

 little about its inner life. 



When the leaves fall in autumn, next season's buds are 

 are already formed and are then about one-eighth of their 

 fiill size. At this time the tree contains enormous quantities 

 of food-stores, for the whole season's work of the leaves has 

 been accumulating until this moment. During the long 

 winter's "sleep" the tree is by no means at rest. It is 

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