108 IN THE ACADIAN LAND. 



Hebrews and Egyptians relates something of 

 magic rods, and certain kinds of woods were 

 believed to have superior virtues. The Greeks 

 and Romans and Germanic peoples used them 

 in their search for metals. Our Bible makes 

 frequent references to them and their magic 

 properties ; they are mentioned as tokens of 

 power, as the " rod of mine anger " and " thy 

 rod and thy staff, they comfort me." 



However, I must not dwell on this tempting 

 subject, where so much of interest might be 

 written. Here there are many other things 

 most worthy of special notice. Plants and 

 trees, as we all know, have their proper prefer- 

 ences and places of growth. Some grow under 

 water altogether, some grow partly in and 

 partly out, and others hold to the damp margins, 

 and others, again, the swamps and drier uplands. 

 Here within a few rods are great varieties of 

 soil where trees and shrubs and grasses may 

 manage to grow. But always there is crowding, 

 and hard struggle for existence. Nature sows 

 her seeds by the thousand to get one to grow 

 and reproduce its kind. Sometimes they are 

 cast on the ground and quickly covered with 

 leaves, and thus shut out from proper heat they 

 long remain waiting for a day of germination. 

 Many seasons may pass away, and yet they are 



