184 THE HUMAN SIDE OF TREES 



tectural scheme of the Court House very gracefully, 

 but the authorities do well to leave it unmolested 

 as an example of the wonderful way in which Na- 

 ture's efforts sometimes work out. 



A somewhat similar case is reported from the 

 Island of Trinidad. Here the tree started on the 

 ground but at the bottom of a tall brick chimney 

 once connected with a now abandoned sugar mill. 

 Up through the long, cramped tunnel the tree 

 bravely struggled until, emerging from the top, it 

 was able to bask in sun and air unconfined. 



Near Fort Pierce, Florida, they tell of a hazard- 

 loving rubber tree perched fifty feet above the 

 ground in the fork of an old dead pine. It receives 

 its substance through a single root which it sends 

 down to the earth. 



The yucca palms which live on the edge of the 

 Mojave Desert in Southern California are queer 

 trees. On their few straight limbs are rigid spine- 

 tipped leaves of ashy grey. The older ones droop 

 dejectedly. In the spring, dingy white blossoms 

 give out a repugnant odour. Seen along the top 

 of some mountain ridge, these weird tree produc- 

 tions of nature have an eerie, fantastic and un- 

 earthly look. For all their demoniacal appearance, 

 they are of service to the men of the region. They 



