II 



THE PLANT AND THE SEASONS 



THE changes which come over the world of 

 plants with the passage of the seasons are the 

 most distinctive features of the countryside. At 

 the approach of winter the greater number of 

 trees and shrubs, in common with most perennial 

 species, pass into a state of quiescence from 

 which they will not emerge until the arrival of 

 the spring. Such a course is only possible in 

 conditions which involve a cessation of vegetable 

 activity that is practically universal. In the 

 tropical forests the trees are almost without 

 exception evergreen in habit, and it is necessary 

 that they should be so, if they are to hold their 

 own in the fierce struggle for existence. The 

 welfare of the tree depends upon the extent 

 to which it can keep the soil beneath it in a 

 state of dense shade. Underneath the spreading 

 branches the ground is littered with germinating 

 seeds, only waiting for a few rays of sunshine to 



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