1006 Marvels of the 
Photos by] [S. ZL. Bastin. 
HAZEL GROWING UPON WILLOW. 
A Hazel bush growing upon a pollard Willow has to send its 
roots ten feet in order to reach the ground. In the lower photo, 
part of the bark has been removed to show the roots. 
Universe 
About ten years ago a seedling Hazel 
bush started life in the decayed vegetable 
matter right at the summit of a pollard 
Willow. The bush grew quite happily for a 
time and increased considerably in size. 
After a while, however, it seems that the 
limited root-accommodation was not suffi- 
cient for the plant’s needs. Accordingly it 
started to send down roots on the inside 
of the trunk of its host to the ground. 
The distance travelled was no less than 
ten feet. Finally, the roots of the Hazel 
embedded themselves in the soft mould 
collected in the inside of the hollow trunk. 
Another very singular case of roots travel- 
ling a long way, and with unerring instinct, 
to reach the soil occurred in South Africa. 
In this instance a species of climbing Cactus 
was rambling over the roof of a shed. In 
a certain part of the roof there was a hole, 
and when the stem of the Cactus reached 
this spot an enormous quantity of roots 
were sent out. These travelled down 
(through the air, of course) a distance of 
eight feet to the ground below. Actually, 
they were never destined to reach their 
goal on account of the fact that the shed 
was infested with rats, and these creatures 
enawed off the roots and in this way pre- 
vented them from touching the ground. In 
both the cases mentioned above it is not 
easy to explain how it was that the roots of 
the plant knew that the ground was within 
reach, whilst they were still many feet 
away. In the case of old hollow Beech- 
trees, it is quite a common experience to 
find that these send down roots on the in- 
side of their trunks through the air to the 
ground (see page 1008). 
In greenhouses it is often easy to find 
cases of root-intelligence. A little fern in 
the writer’s possession was growing in a 
pot with some other plant. The pot was 
always kept standing in a saucer of water, 
and it would seem that the fern desired to 
draw upon this supply. Accordingly it 
sent down a root on the outside of the pot 
to the water beneath, travelling a distance 
of about four inches. Some plants of 
