ON ADAPTATION 



"And so, with every plant that grows, we shall 

 see these same tendencies — instincts shall we call 

 them? — to Avard off the enemy and make use of 



the friend." 



***** 



"So long as plants grow wild, the frosts, the 

 winds, the hail storms, the droughts and the 

 animals are principal among the enemies with 

 which they have to reckon. 



"So long as they grow in the woods, or on the 

 mountains, or in the deserts, the bees and the birds 

 and the butterflies — the warmth of the sun and 

 moisture of the soil — these are among the friendly 

 factors in their lives. 



"But when we take plants under cultivation, we 

 upset their whole environment. 



"We build fences around our blackberries so 

 that they need no thorns. We save the seeds of our 

 radishes, and the bulbs of our lilies, and through 

 human organization distribute them and plant 

 them wherever they will grow. We cut slips from 

 our apple trees and ship them from county to 

 county, and state to state, and nation to nation, and 

 zone to zone. We select, and improve, and plow, 

 and harrow the ground for our plants; we water 

 them when they are dry; we surround them with 

 shade trees if they need shade, we cut down the 

 shade trees if they prefer the sun; we plant their 



[109] 



