70 A SUMMER IN GREENLAND 
is expended upon the formation of reproductive 
organs. Tropical conditions induce length of stem 
and leaves on a lavish scale, and the formation of 
dense jungles in which the competing trees make 
every effort to obtain a place in the sun. By com- 
parison with the variegated carpet of flowers that 
brightens an Arctic landscape the ground in a 
tropical forest is intensely gloomy; the flowering 
shoots of climbers are festooned over the branches 
of crowded trees often blossoming far above the 
reach of man or even beyond his vision, while 
the smaller plants pass their life attached to the 
sunlit boughs of supporting trees in the topmost 
region of the jungle. Arctic conditions demand a 
concentration of effort and the result is a ‘rush of 
flowers’ when once the winter is passed. 
The brightest hour of unborn Spring, 
Through the winter wandering, 
It kissed the forehead of the Earth, 
And smiled upon the silent sea, 
And bade the frozen streams be free, 
And waked to music all their fountains, 
And breathed upon the frozen mountains, 
And like a prophetess in May 
Strewed flowers upon the barren way. 
Timely preparation is made during the growing 
season which ensures a prompt response to the first 
call of spring; buds are ready by the end of summer; 
in the winter they find shelter under the snow or 
below a covering of dead leaves. In Greenland 
more than in temperate regions the effect of 
spring is ‘the miracle of earth re-clad.’ It is an 
