THE COSMIC ADAPTATION OF THE SEED 453 



existence may be expanded in another direction, and we have 



then a calm reposeful world with a relatively light atmosphere 



but little disturbed by air currents, where the equilibrium 



between the organism and its environment is preserved for 



almost an eternity and vegetation of the Sequoia type prevails. 



We are thus not called upon to suppose that the plant-life 



in other worlds is necessarily quite beyond the range of our 



terrestrial experience. There are doubtless worlds where the 



very conditions of life are on quite another plane, and for such 



the indications supplied by the earth would have no value. 



But there must be many for which the terrestrial scale would 



be ample enough in its scope ; and as our knowledge of these 



matters increases it will be along the lines there indicated that 



progress will be made. There is, however, much that is not 



conceivable in the possibilities of other forms of life under 



other conditions ; but the point urged here is that we have not 



yet exhausted the conceivable, as suggested by the variety of 



the forms of life and of the life-conditions presented on the 



surface of the earth. 



Before quitting: this part of my subject for the discussion of Not the 



^ , -1 1 L *.u- evolution of 



" cosmic adaptation, let me remind my readers that nothing a type but 



in the nature of evolution has been here implied. I have JJ|nfo7'°P" 



regarded plant-life from this particular standpoint as if the differ^ent ^ ^^^ 



doctrine of evolution had never been propounded. Evolu- sameplant- 



tionary phraseology has become so established that it is not iJ^^ed. ^^^ 



easy to state any problem or to indicate any new standpoint 



without doing so in terms of that theory. This seems to be 



unfortunate in some respects. In the previous pages I have 



been concerned with the development of the several stages of 



the same plant-type in response to the varying pressure of the 



conditions, the seed-stage and that of the fully developed forest 



trees representing respectively the effects of the maximum and 



minimum repressive influence as indicated in our terrestrial 



scale. (Some further remarks on this matter will be found 



in Note 19 of the Appendix.) 



All terrestrial organisms are generally adapted to the earth's 



