THE SAMAN OR RAIN TREE 



425 



A very interesting and plausible explanation of this 

 legend was published by Mr. W. T. Thiselton Dyer in 

 Nature of February 28, 1878, when he stated on the 

 authority of Dr. Spruce, the celebrated botanist, who 

 spent many years in South America, that the tamiacaspi, 

 as it is called by the Indians in eastern Peru, is not a 

 myth, but a fact, although not exactly in the way popular 

 rumor has presented it. He said that an examination of 

 the tree from which water is noticed to drop shows a 

 multitude of cicades sucking the juices from the ultimate 

 twigs and leaves and squirting forth slender streams of 

 limpid fluid. This is, however, a rare occurrence, and is 

 not confined to the rain tree, but is true also of the cab- 

 bage tree AAndria inermisQ and a good many other 

 leguminous trees in tropical South America. 



Aside from this legend, the tree is an interesting one 

 from other points of view. There is no other tree in 

 tropical America about which there is so much curious 

 information as the rain tree, and everyone who visits the 

 region of its growth alludes to it as one of the most won- 

 derful trees. It is a very conspicuous feature of the 

 tropical American landscape. One of its chief character- 

 istics is the extraordinary large size of its crown, which 

 often covers fully half an acre of ground. Another fea- 

 ture which distinguishes it from practically every one of 

 its associates is that it has all its leaves on the small 

 twigs at the extreme ends of the branches. All the leaves 

 are thus exposed to the direct rays of the sun. 



To the traveler in the northern part of South America, 

 saman is the most familiar name for this tree, and to the 

 general reader it is known chiefly as the Peruvian rain 

 tree. Botanists call it Pithecolobium saman. The Eng- 

 lish-speaking people of tropical America call it also 

 South American acacia, zamang tree, giant thibet-tree, or 

 genisaro. In Martinique it is known as arbre a la pluie, 

 in Dutch Guiana as regenboom, and in Brazil as arvore 



de chuva. The tree is widely distributed throughout the 

 tropical part of the world, and a great many other local 

 names have been given to it in different regions of its 

 growth. It is found naturally in Colombia, Venezuela, 

 the Guianas, Brazil, and Trinidad, but its artificial range 

 has been extended to all the islands of the West Indies, 

 where it now forms in many parts a very important part 

 of the tree flora. In Jamaica it constitutes a useful fodder 

 plant. In fact, it may seem strange to say that cattle have 

 been the means of introducing the saman tree into 

 Jamaica. This island was formerly dependent for cattle 

 upon Venezuela, and the food of the animals during their 

 voyage consisted, among other things, of the pulpy le- 

 gumes of the saman tree. The seeds, being hard, were 

 uninjured by the process of mastication and digestion. 

 The seeds were dejected by the animals in the pastures, 

 where they germinated and grew up into large trees. 

 The process of passing through the animals softened the 

 seeds and hastened the period of germination. In this 

 instance we have cattle as not only the means of intro- 

 ducing the seeds of this valuable tree, but also involun- 

 tarily instrumental in establishing the tree in a new coun- 

 try. One acquainted with the saman tree can easily 

 realize its value as a shade and food tree for cattle. 



This familiar tropical tree stands pre-eminent as a 

 shade tree for general purposes, and especially for public 

 roads. It grows rapidly and is indifferent as to soil, 

 thriving from sea level to 2,000 feet elevation, and accom- 

 modating itself to dry as well as to wet locations. In 

 Trinidad it reaches a height of over 80 feet, with wide- 

 spreading branches covering an area of 150 feet in diam- 

 eter. The wood is moderately heavy and about equal to 

 sabicu, a closely related tree growing in the West Indies. 

 It is suitable for building purposes and for making furni- 

 ture and cabinet work. 



A CHANCE TO HELP BIRDS, TREES AND PARKS 



HOW THE BIRDS HELP THE TREES 



1. Caterpillars, beetles, borers and sucking insects are de- 

 stroying our trees and shrubs. From 76 per cent of the food 

 of the blue bird, 90 per cent of the food of the oriole to 98 

 per cent of the food of the wren, consists of injurious insects. 



2. A pair of scarlet tanagers, working one hour a day for 

 a week will devour 14,000 caterpillars and thus save the 

 foliage of two average trees. 



3. The chickadee eats insects and spiders' eggs in the 

 summer; weed seed in the winter. One chickadee will devour 

 on an average 30 canker worm moths a day from the 20th of 

 March to the 15th of April. If the average number of eggs 

 laid by one female is 185, one chickadee would thus destroy 

 in one day 5,550 eggs; and in the 25 days in which the canker 

 worm moths crawl up the trees, a chickadee would destroy 

 138,750 eggs. 



4. Sparrows , finches, doves destroy millions of tons of 

 weed seed. In Utah, the tree sparrows destroy 815 tons of 

 weed seed in a season. 



5.. A pair of native sparrows will destroy 3,360 caterpillars 

 per week for the family supply. They have been reported to 

 have carried to the nest 500 insects in an hour. 



HOW THE PARE DEPARTMENT HELPS THE BIRDS 



1. Trees and shrubs furnishing food for the birds have 

 been planted in large numbers. 



2. The habits of useful birds have been studied and suitable 

 houses and feeding stations have been put up for them. 

 The boys of the Manual Training High School are making 

 some of these bird houses. 



3. Grain, suet, and other food for birds are placed at their 

 disposal. 



4. The enemies of birds, such as cats and English sparrows, 

 are kept out of the parks so far as possible. 



HOW YOU CAN HELP THE BIRDS, THE TREES AND 

 THE PARK DEPARTMENT 



1. You can help to preserve the shrubs and trees upon 

 which the birds feed. 



2. You can help to preserve the bird houses and feeding 

 stations. 



3. You can donate bird houses, suet boxes and feeding 

 stations, and can encourage the city tree-planting movement. 



[This is a copy of a placard prepared by the Brooklyn 

 Park Department for an exhibit.] 



