Nature and Culture 55 



other does not encroach. He goes off far enough 

 so that there will be plenty for both, but either of 

 them will grow up between the big wind-roots of a 

 pine. 



Now go to the lake shore. Out there in deep 

 water are the lilies, next, shoreward, comes a line 

 of wild rice, next a line of rushes, next a line of 

 wire-grass, and last a line of blue-joint. All these 

 lines surround the whole lake. None are trespass- 

 ers on the territory of the others. But you may 

 reply that none of these kinds could live in the 

 place occupied by the others, so that invasion would 

 be impossible; that the lily must have its roots 

 below the reach of the ice, or the ice would pull 

 them out, uproot them; that the ice cannot get hold 

 of the rice roots, so that they are at liberty to 

 occupy the rich, mucky soil in shallow water; that 

 the wire-grass likes to have its feet in the water, 

 and the blue-joint does not, and so on. What is 

 this but the self-adaptation of the plant to its con- 

 ditions? What is it but an agreement among 

 themselves to divide fair, the agreement enforced 

 afterward by constitution and habit? One man is 

 a blacksmith, another a tailor. They divide fairly. 

 Because the one cannot invade the territory of the 

 other after they have learned their trades is not 

 saying that there was not a fair division when they 

 began. 



Out there in the lake is a loon or two, and a 

 flock of ducks. The loon lives on fish exclusively, 



