136 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 



soming. It is because of this long period of "an- 

 nual payments," that many people erroneously be- 

 lieve the A gave j as it is botanically known, blos- 

 soms only once in a century. The blossoms, which 

 really appear usually about once in fifteen years, 

 develop very rapidly, and thus require a large 

 quantity of ready prepared food-material. As the 

 living plant benefits by this foresight, its insur- 

 ance might be classed under the head of an "endow- 

 ment policy." 



Among the striking illustrations of plants that 

 have developed life insurance to an art none are 

 more worthy of mention than the cacti. These 

 giant inhabitants of the desert regions have long 

 ago learned the value not only of saving for the 

 rainy day, but of saving on the rainy day: their 

 "hay day" is when it rains! It is at this rare time 

 that they are enabled to drink up a sufficient quan- 

 tity of water to fill their internal sponges, or small 

 cisterns, and thus insure themselves against the 

 long-continued drought to follow. 



These cacti have become very strong and cour- 

 ageous, for they have fought and won many bat- 

 tles. Their spines defend them from grazing ani- 

 mals, and their bodies have become so shaped as to 

 protect them from too much sunshine, which might 

 cause their carefully stored water to evaporate ; thus 



