CHAPTER II 



THE STRUGGLE TO LIVE 



Every plant and animal is exposed to unfavorable eon- 

 di/ ions. It is obliged to contend with these conditions in 

 order to live. 



No two plants or parts of plants are identically exposed 

 to the conditions in which they live. The large branches 



^m 



Fig. 3. — A Battle for Life. 



in Fig. 1 probably had more room and a better exposure 

 to light than the smaller ones. Probably no two of the 

 leaves in Fig. 2 are equally exposed to light, or enjoy 

 identical advantages in relation to the food that they re- 

 ceive from the tree. 



Examine any tree to determine under what advantages 

 or disadvantages any of the limbs may live. Examine 

 similarly the different plants in a garden row (Fig. 3); or 

 the different bushes in a thicket ; or the different trees in 

 a wood. 



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