ON ADAPTATION 
“And so, with every plant that grows, we shall 
see these same tendencies—instincts shall we call 
them?—to ward off the enemy and make use of 
the friend.” 
“So long as plants grow wild, the frosts, the 
winds, the hail storms, the droughts and the 
animals are principal among the enemies with 
which they have to reckon. 
“So long as they grow in the woods, or on the 
mountains, or in the deserts, the bees and the birds 
and the butterflies—the warmth of the sun and 
moisture of the soil—these are among the friendly 
factors in their lives. 
“But when we take plants under cultivation, we 
upset their whole environment. 
“We build fences around our blackberries so 
that they need no thorns. We save the seeds of our 
radishes, and the bulbs of our lilies, and through 
human organization distribute them and plant 
them wherever they will grow. We cut slips from 
our apple trees and ship them from county to 
county, and state to state, and nation to nation, and 
zone to zone. We select, and improve, and plow, 
and harrow the ground for our plants; we water 
them when they are dry; we surround them with 
shade trees if they need shade, we cut down the 
shade trees if they prefer the sun; we plant their 
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