220 



COMPETITION WITH FELLOWS 



378. If the 

 earth is filled 

 with plants, 

 there must be 

 sharp competi- 

 tion for every 

 inch of its sur- 

 face. If any 

 good soil is not 

 populated with 

 plants, it is usu- 

 ally because it 

 has recently 

 been moved. If the farmer does not move or till his 

 soil frequently, various plants get a foothold, and these 

 plants he calls weeds. Determine how much room an apple 

 tree, or other plant, occupies: then calculate how much 

 space would be required for all the seedlings of that tree or 

 plant. The greater the population of any area, the less chance 



386. The tree has appropriated the food and moisture, so 

 that a large area remains bare of vegetation. 



387. Low shade-loving plants on the forest floor. 



