PERSONALITY OF PLANTS 
lake is drained, every time a field is plowed— 
whenever any alteration is made in the land- 
scape—the vegetation is affected. Sometimes 
this disturbance of the natural order of things 
becomes a serious menace, as in the case of de- 
forestation. ‘The welfare of the world is bound 
up with the welfare of the plants. 
About a hundred years ago, a certain section 
of forest in France was levelled. It contained 
Oak, Beech, and Ash. The new trees to spring 
up were Birch and Poplar. After thirty years 
they too were felled and young shoots of the 
same species immediately came up, with a few 
descendants of the original growth reappear- 
ing. It was not until the third clearing or ninety 
years after the original cutting that the Oaks 
and Beeches began to regain their lost prestige. 
This is a good example of the effect that human 
operations have on the plant world. Wholesale 
cuttings tend to change the chemical composi- 
tion of the soil by withdrawing certainelements, 
thereby causing other species to flourish which 
do not need this material. 
When it comes to plants grown in nurseries 
and conservatories, gardeners are often able to 
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