54 The Tree and How it Lives 



The evergreens keep their seeds in cones until 

 they are ripe. Then the cones open to let out the 

 tiny seeds inside. Most cones are only a few 

 inches in length, but those of some Western trees 

 are much larger. The sugar pine, a tree growing 

 on the Pacific Coast, has cones which are from 

 one to nearly two feet long. When the warmth 

 of a hot California sun has caused these great 

 cones to open, the hundreds of seeds inside drop 

 out. They are all ready then to be planted and 

 to grow; and from such small seeds as these, 

 giant trees come up in time. 



In some South American countries there are 

 trees with seeds so heavy that when the tree 

 lets them fall they go almost out of sight in the 

 soft forest soil. Some trees have fruits that burst 

 or explode, shooting out the seeds inside; others, 

 like the coconut, float lightly on the water. 



Young oaks and chestnuts often spring from 

 the seeds of the older trees. But some of them 

 come up in yet another way. When the old trees 

 are cut down their stumps, still full of life, send 

 out new shoots the following spring. These 

 grow more rapidly than seedlings, yet seldom live 

 as long as the trees which have sprung from seed. 



