SEED DISTEIBUTION 



155 



"Water plants very commonly produce seeds or fruits which 

 will float, and these are often carried for miles by the water, to 

 lodge and grow long after their voyage began. It is supposed 

 that many uninhabited islands of the South Seas have in this 

 way been planted with coco palms. 



Various devices throw seeds about (Figs. 143 and 145), espe- 

 cially when disturbed by an animal, into whose fur the seeds 

 may fall. Burs in 

 great numbers are 

 carried about by 

 animals, sometimes 

 clinging for months 

 to the hair, fur, or 

 feathers (Figs. 146 

 and 147). 



141. Dispersal of 

 edible seeds. Edible 

 seeds and fruits — 

 such as nuts, the 

 grains, berries, and 

 stone fruits like 

 plums and cherries 

 — are often carried 

 long distances by 

 animals. They are frequently swallowed, and later voided un- 

 digested and in a condition to grow. In this way wild cherries 

 (Fig. 148) and wild apples are planted about pastures and in 

 open woods. So, too, raspberry, currant, and gooseberry bushes, 

 asparagus, and bittersweet may be found growing in the forks 

 of trees high above the ground. Squirrels, blue jays, and some 

 other animals carry away nuts and bury them, often leaving 

 them to grow the following spring (Fig. 325).^ 



1 On the general subject of seed dispersal see Kerner-Oliver, Natural 

 History of Plants, pp. 833-877 (Henry Holt and Company, New York) ; also 

 Beal, Seed Dispersal (Ginn and Company, Boston). 



Fk;. 148. Fruit of the wild black cherry, a valu- 

 able timber 'tree 



The seeds, which are hard and indigestible, are dis- 

 seminated mainly by birds. One half natural size 



