PERSONALITY OF PLANTS 
vestigates. The common Potentillas and 
Brambles show remarkable sagacity in search- 
ing out hidden veins of soil among the rocks 
where they grow. Nothing is more ingenious 
than the way in which Hyacinths, Primroses 
and Irises smother competitive seedlings by 
putting forth large, low-lying leaves to cut off 
the light of neighbours. 
Plants are great inventors, and by continual 
experimentation have perfected thousands of 
ingenious devices to help them in their life 
struggles. Many of these have to do with the 
all-important processes of reproduction and 
cross-fertilization. The elaborate organs which 
oftentimes force visiting insects to aid the 
flowers in their love-making are conclusive 
proofs of directing intelligence. If, as is gen- 
erally believed, vegetable life preceded animal 
life on this planet, then the plants must have 
developed these special reproductive organs 
in which insects act as the fertilizing agents as 
direct attempts to benefit the race by cross- 
breeding. 
While cross-fertilization is vitally necessary 
for the maintenance of a vigorous and hardy 
[192] 
