934 BATTLES OF PLANTS IN THE WORLD 
Man sometimes a great enemy of the forest. ‘Then 
the woodman may come to level the giants with axe © 
and saw. Against him the pmes have no means of 
defence. ‘The finest trees are 
cut. Here is one which has 
suffered from a fungus enemy, 
and so has a hollow trunk. 
The woodman spares that tree 
because it 1s of no value to 
him. It is left standing 
alone to tell the tale of the 
proud pine forest and its grand 
struggle for mastery. 
Then man begins his ‘‘ civil- 
izing influences.”?’ ‘The old 

ee... fallen trunks and the brush- 
wood are burned. ‘he stumps 
are gradually rooted out. The ground is ploughed and 
planted. Here and there are a few of the remaining 
giants which man for one reason or another leaves in 
his cultivated field. One of these is the towering hol- 
low trunk of the pine. It has the look of centuries. 
It has ceased to advance. Near the top of the tall 
trunk are great branches. Smaller trees have sprung 
up where once its old comrades stood. Many peoplr 
wandering on the edge of the woodland stop and admire 
the grand old pine, with its rugged seamed trunk and 
