New Walks in Old Ways 



trying to get a little elementary knowl- 

 edge of the tremendous preparations 

 made by the innumerable "weeds" and 

 shrubs and trees that live along the 

 fences and in the woodlands looking 

 towards reproduction. 



Can you count the seeds which the 

 sumac bushes in one little roadside 

 clump have ready for distribution as 

 the scarlet leaves begin to fall? I have 

 tried, but one autumn afternoon was 

 all too short for any such enumeration. 

 I know that each one of those wine- 

 colored, plush-like clusters carried 150 

 to 200; that each bush is full of these; 

 and that they are so light and downy 

 that they are easily knocked about and 

 scattered where Mother Sumac thinks 

 they will do the most good. At a 

 rough guess I should say that each 

 fairly developed sumac strews any- 

 where from 1,000 to 2,000 of its seeds 

 in the grass about its roots. Not only 

 that, but a lot of wild rose bushes have 

 for years made their home around the 



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