With Gun & Rod in Canada 



No. 6. 



That the instinct trees have for not allowing their 

 branches to grow down into the water is not uncommon 

 may be proved by observation along the wooded banks 

 of any stream. In this picture are shown several trees 

 that through the undermining of the roots have taken a 

 decided list toward the stream. The high-water level 

 during the spring floods is several feet above the level 

 shown in the picture. When the trees grow to within a 

 few inches of this high-water level, trunks and branches 

 take an upward turn. The result is some very curious 

 contortions in tree growth. 



No. 7. 



Many years ago an oak-tree was broken off by the 

 wind, the trunk falling prone upon the bank of the stream. 

 The upper limbs dried up and rotted away. The bark 

 and some of the outside layers of the tree-fibre did not 

 break when the tree fell, but remained attached to both 

 root and trunk like a huge hinge. One of the lower 

 branches, barely more than a sprout, remained uninjured 

 on top of the fallen trunk. In twenty years the sprout 

 has grown into a splendid, erect, well-formed tree, now 

 measuring nearly twelve inches through. The roots 

 of the old oak feed this youngster through the fallen 

 trunk, and some of the rotting branches on the upper end 

 of the old trunk have helped meet the demands of 

 the thriving offspring by taking root in the ground. 

 Thus the young oak is growing as if upon a bridge, 

 receiving its moisture through the fabric of the 

 structure. 



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