THE STORY OF THE DAISY 5 
terrible competition for the good things of life. All 
kinds of plants were struggling keenly for light, and 
air, and food. My ancestors had to fight very 
keenly with other plants which threatened to 
smother them with their leaves, and prevent them 
from getting the barest necessaries of life. 
‘“ Those were terrible times. I might say that my 
revered ancestors were at their wits’ ends to know 
what to do. Well, after much struggling, and as it 
were by chance, they hit upon a remarkable device. 
Other plants threatened to smother them, and they 
somehow learned how to pay back in kind. Origin- 
ally their leaves were borne on a stem at some dis- 
tance apart from each other, not in rosettes, as in 
my case. It happened that they had some children 
whose leaves grew closer together, and these children 
gave birth to generation after generation of other 
children, with leaves growing closer and yet closer 
together, until one season came when they actually 
pressed together into the form of a rosette. 
Just here the story of my kind becomes wonder- 
ful. Thedevelopment of the rosette of leaves marks 
a great epoch’in our history. Up to that point 
neighbouring plants threatened to smother us by 
growing over our heads, thus cutting off light, air, 
‘and moisture. But when my ancestors arrived with 
the rosettes of leaves, their rootlets pulled the stems 
below the ground right up to the place from whence 
the leaves sprang, and the leaves pressed themselves 
in solid circles on the surface of the ground. This 
new development prevented plants from growing 
within the immediate circle of the leaves, and 
secured daisy plants a goodly supply of ground 
