58 The Tree and How it Lives 



the same light and heat. The balsam and the 

 spruce, the chestnut and the oak, are trees that 

 often grow together in the woods. 



There are many kinds of forest in this great 

 land of ours from the pine woods of New 

 England to the Florida forests, where grow the 

 royal palms. In some forests there are only a 

 few kinds of trees; in others there may be a hun- 

 dred kinds. 



Some of the trees we see in these forests have 

 been growing for many years. They are very old, 

 forest grandfathers, in fact. Under them, at 

 their feet, many little trees are springing up. All 

 of these younger trees are trying to reach the 

 light, and in time they will take the places of the 

 older ones. 



The forest is a great plant society. Trees are 

 its members, and they are of every age, and many 

 kinds and sizes. They protect one another, and 

 also give food and shelter to the wild birds and 

 animals that seek a home in the quiet recesses. 



