HOW TREES GROW AND MULTIPLY 17 



sprout and grow into trees. Many seeds are 

 carried by the ocean currents to distant foreign 

 shores. 



The decay of leaves and woodland vegetation 

 forms rich and fertile soils in the forests, in which 

 conditions are favorable for the development of 

 new tree growth. When living tree seeds are 

 exposed to proper amounts of moisture, warmth 

 and air in a fertile soil, they will sprout and grow. 

 A root develops which pushes its way down into 

 the soil, while the leaf -bud of the plant, which 

 springs from the other end of the seed, works its 

 way upward toward the light and air. This 

 leafy part of the seed finally forms the stem of 

 the tree. But trees may produce plenty of seed 

 and yet fail to maintain their proper proportion 

 in the forest. This results because much of the 

 seed is unsound. Even where a satisfactory sup- 

 ply of sound fertile seed is produced, it does not 

 follow that the trees of that variety will be main- 

 tained in the forest, as the seed supply may be 

 scattered in unfavorable positions for germina- 

 tion. Millions of little seedlings, however, start 

 to grow in the forest each year, but only a small 

 number survive and become large trees. This 

 is because so many of the seedlings are destroyed 



