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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1916)
7 aid JLy ivorco DO Remarkable Characteristics of Trees, Vines and Flowers, as Revealed by the Latest Studies of an Expert BT ROYAL DIXON. Author of "The Human Side of Plants." rERHAPS It would be difficult to rfind In the whole range of plant creation anything more curious and human-like than the love, mar riage and divorce among plants. Here, as In the human world, "love," or to be more accurate, "amorousness." un derlies every act of the plant kingdom. It Is the most powerful factor for the perpetuation of all plant life. In the great tropical forests of Africa and South America this mate-hunger is far more ravenous than even food-hunger. Divorce among the uncanny tree mon sters Is practically unknown, but court ship sometimes lasts for SO years, and so the female has plenty of time to make up her mind. However, the whole affair Is often a matter of convenience. Should the marriage prove unsatisfac tory, she often poisons her mate and then herself, and they die in each oth er's arms. If the human race Is ever to get over Its habit of making a muddle of lov ing, it must begin to study more care fully the ways of plant lovers. They also are still groping In the dark on these vital points, but they do not deny the power of the passions as some of the human race have done, nor do they try to analyze It back through Its nth power. Women are anxious to know all about the psychology of love, and men haven't the retrospection even to try to trace its path. Our most difficult problems love, marriage and divorce are also the problems of the plant world. In the great tropical forests a continuous bat tle is waged both above and below the earth, as well as in the sky and sea. These battles are not only for the pos session of territory, but for the posses sion of proper mates. Methods ef Love-MakJng. The methods of love-making of the plant world may seem more brutal than that of our cave-dwelling forefathers, but there, as In the human world, love knows no law. A vampire vine, the Devil's Snare, so gigantic in size that It is supposed to be able to capture wild dogs, and suck the blood from their bodies, Just as an Insect-eating plant snaps up a fly and sucks the blood from the dead fly's body. will, during the mating season, continually ' send out his huge, white, electrically-charged limbs, and clasp his lover to "his arms. If Bhe refuses and Is too weak to de fend herself, he deliberately kills her in his terrible arms. If she Is able to free herself. It must be at the sacrifice of many of her limbs, and she must turn entirely away and grow in dif ferent direction. If she is a flirt, her destruction is certain. . Her monster lover Is very clever and in the early Spring great tear drops of honey continually flow from his amorous eyes. If the object of his adoration ever trusts him to come near, or allows him to take Just one kiss, it is all off. and she Is his wife and slave forever afterward. Some times it happens that she marries him in preference to death and watches for an opportune time to kill him. Death by strangulation is her only chance to rid herself of this undesir able mate. If she is very wise she will wrap her arms so tightly around his body that he must eventually die and then she stands a widow forever cursed by having to hold up to the world the dead corpse of her murdered husband. If she chooses to marry again, she must still embrace her dead husband, unless he has crumbled away. But that Is not likely, for these trees do not re main long in widowhood. It is not un common to see certain female trees hold ing in their manifold arms the corpses of several dead husbands. But Judge them not . harshly, for they may have been forced to marry some of these un desirables. . . Strange rumors have been circulated of the existence of huge, monster-like fig vines and sometimes trees which have the most elaborate courtships, kid naplngs, marriages and ofttlmes di vorces. These are usually found In' the remote and unvlslted parts of the great troplics. Science has recently discov ered, however, that there Is a good foundation for these extraordinary fic tions. In the valley of the Amazon the married life of these monsters is most unusual and divorce is unknown. There Is little danger of infidelity in either case. And the bridal kiss lasts for ver! Who knows but what Adam and Eve really learned to spoon from the trees! Surely there could be no better precedent than a family tree. Human-Like Traits. Thia strange, human-like plant may be taken' as an example of the model lover. No plant-woman could resist his manly charms. If he foolishly de sires to remain a bachelor, like some silly men, he grows up as a long, spider-like vine, with feminine-looking tendrils in the place of arms. Like a beanstalk, he climbs and climbs up and over tall trees. Sometimes late in life he sees the error of his ways and takes unto himself a bride, but then it is to late, for she soon tires of him and kills him. In the plant world this Is all right, for the more times she has been married, the more charms she Is supposed to possess. Each time she squeezes a husband to death, there Is more space for her and her new hus band to spoon, and lean on the corpses of her former lovers. His courting is what wins her heart. The gallant lover adorns himself in his gayest colors for winning a bride. If his love responds to his ardent wooing, they embrace for life and grow up as a single tree. But should she refuse him alas! He becomes a climbing vine of the most voracious kind, twist ing, climbing, strangling and murder ing everything that comes within his reach. Thus In the plant world as well as among human beings, love has its effect. The soured, disappointed lover of the plant world Is Just as much a menace to his tribe as is the disap pointed and sour man. Cuaalna Courtships. Perhaps the most cunning and weird of all plant courtships la that of cer tain orchids. For many generations they have had to wag warfare by In genious methods. They - have no prickles, thorns. swords or daggers against birds and animals that would mm WW CURIOUS DUAWIXG BV V. O. LEARXED, MADE I'XDGR THE DIIIECTION OP MR. DIXON. SUGGESTING MOW TUB VANl'IKK VINE. CALLED TUB DEVIL'S SNAKE, SEIZES UPON A TREU AND HOW THK TWO BECOME LOCKED IN EACH OTHER'S AllMS. eat them. Nor have they any weapons to use In the protection of their loves, except cunning. And so the tricks to which they resort to Imitate bees, but terflies, snakes, and even bats. are most unusual. Orchids are the most skilled of all plants In the art of simulation. They choose for Imitation some Insect, bird or animal free from danger. Some, orchids Imitate poisonous spiders. The fly orchid and the bee orchid are ex amples which Imitate so skillfully that trained scientists are often at fault In detecting the deception. These or chids resemble clusters of bees or flies resting on a dry twig. Many of the larger species of orchids imitate huge bats. This Imitation aids the orchid In Its courtship. The poor. deluded bat alights on a sprig of these flowers, thinking he Is approaching other bats, but. instead, he Is only de ceived by this weird flower that It ma use him as a messenger of love to other orchids. The bat's head is cov ered with pollen, and when he goes to another similar flower, he carries the precious yellow dust with him. so the bat orchids are fertilise In this strange way. But love' knows no law. and in the plant world these cunning ways of theirs Is only a tribute to the necessi ties of married life In a world where the story of all life la a story of con tinual contention and strife. The struggle In the plant underworld Is most terrible and almost unthinkable. And the results mean much to the hu man world, for. after all. we are de pendent upon the plants for everything we have, even to the air we breathe. In case a certain tree, like our own catalpa. grows tired of mating with its own species, and Is fertilised by means of the pollen from some other tree, the result Is a hybrid, which, in most cases, will not reproduce its kind. As a result, we soon find certain val uable trees becoming extinct. Just as the birth rate In certain countries Ls decreasing. . Always Practleal.' The plant world and the human world have practically the same forms of love, courtship, marriage and di vorce, except In many- cases the plant world Is more practical about these things. It more readily seems to look forward to the future generations of its kind, -and it gives its offspring a better start In life. For this reason It might be well for all lovers carefully to study plants. In the plant world there la not only a school of mothercraft. but there Is also a school of fathercraft. The fe male plant demands that her wooer be strong, beautiful, chaste and true. These are the great evidences of the sagacity of plants. To enter into the realm of their dally affairs of family life la to become a modern Columbus, landing on the shores of a new and wonderful world. To explore them ls to come to a fuller and surer realisa tion of the unity of all forms of life, a firmer conviction that all life is related through a universal Nature. THE SCARLET RUNNER (Continued From Psgro 8. STRASGE TROPICAL ORCHIDS WHICH SO INGENIOUSLY IMITATE BATS OF THE FOREST THAT EV SKILLED SCIENTISTS FREQUENTLY ARE DECEIVED. EN that, for a second, turned him giddy. Had nothing gone wrong? What If this were not a Joke, but deadly earnest? What If these laughing women should never see their Jewels again? By this time the contents of those leather pouches might be worth two hundred thousand pounds. If, under his charm ing airs of bonhomie Fitzgerald were a rogue well, the game would be well worth the candle for a man in finan cial troubles of any sort. And that poor, happy child, the hostess what a hu miliation for her if at her house, led on by her example, all these people lost their dearest treasures! She would never be forgiven could never live down such a calamity. She might even lose her lover through it. "In case anything should go wrong!" If Miss Dauvray had meant this meant him to guess, meant to give him something by which, if his wits were quick and his courage high, he could stop the game! Suddenly his head was clear as a bell. If he did the thing which had sprung into his brain he would not spoil Fitzgerald's chance of the prize, in case the play were a genuine frolio after all. . Bnt if It were earnest he might save the situation for Miss Van Bouten save the Jewels and. unlesa Fitzgerald were a fool, no one need ever know the truth. He decided to act. and the moment had coma Fitzgerald had finished. He and his assistant were beginning their dash towards the glass doors. But instead of unlocking It. as Christopher had been told to do, he tried it quickly, found it fastened, and slipped the key into his pocket. Then, with his back to the gold curtains he fired one bar rel of Elolse Dauvraya revolver at the celling. This was to let Fitzgerald know that be was formidable; that he carried no harmless toy at his belt, and the effect was "overpowering. All the women screamed (he hated frightening them, but it was for their own good), and even Fitzgerald and his followers were taken aback for an instant. It was but for an Instant though. They sprang forward; but Christopher stopped them with his leveled revolver before they could touch the triggers of theirs. "Hands up, or I (Ire! be shouted. Tber weapons had death in them, too he was sure of that but his could speak first, and if it spoke there would be an end of one man. The danger was that he could not be sure of covering two at a time, and the third was not far off now; but that was the risk he had been ready to run. and on the Instant be was called upon to faoe it. From behind Fitzgerald the other man would have taken the chance and fired, but someone knocked up his arm (no one but Christopher aaw that it was a veiled abbess), and Lord Arrowdale. as Louis XIV, alert and grave enough, now, took advantage of the fellow's brief confusion to setae the revolver from behind. With that Fttsgenald burst Into a loud laugh and tucked his weapon in his belt. (Was it because he knew the game was up, and the only hope lay la saving appearances, or was he merely ready to end his harmless Jlay for the prise?) "Don't be frightened, anybody, and spoil sport." he Cried, his voioe breaking with laughter. Then, snatch ing off his mask and looking handsome and gallant in his slouch hat. he ran and knelt at Undine's feet, calling his comrades to follow. "Our leather pouches, and an that is in them is," he exclaimed, "in exchange for the prize, fair lady." And Miss van Bouten took off her mask also, smiling and beautiful, though a little pale. "Shall be have the prize my friends?" she cried aloud. And the oompany, unmasking, an swered with many voices that the prize must belong to the highwayman. "It's to be put to the vote, you know, at supper." she said. Fitzgerald and his friends, having given up their bags of spoil to their hostess, rose from their knees. Then Fitzgerald came to where Race still stood by the door. Everyone was listening, but all he had to say waa ttf thank Christopher for his "dramatic conception of his part- "Your one slight mistake." he fin ished, "has proved a blessing In dis guise, for it enables me also to change my mind at the last minute. I and my friends will stay to supper and hear our fate In the matter of the blue d'aroond. You are free to do as you choose." I must be getting back to town." "With your oar? Very well; we will meet later." Fitzgerald waa the hero of the oo caalon; and one of the young men of Miss Dauvrays party presently slipped away unnoticed. Perhaps two others did the same Christopher did not know. But when he reached Scarlet Runner, to his intense surprise there sat Miss Dauvray in the seat next to the driver's. "Will you take me home?" she asked. "With pleasure." he said. "And quickly?" "If you wish." They started, and for a few moments neither spoke. Then Christopher asked, "Did I do the thing you wanted?" "Yea." she said. "I thought you would do lt" "Too hypnotized me. perhaps. But waa It a game, or" "Oh. a game, if you Hka But a ter rible game. I would have given my life to stop it. or youra You've saved both. Z can live now, I think. It he wins the prise he'll let me alone for awhile. But if he'd succeeded tonight I couldn't have borne it. What would there have been for me? Only to dis appear as he meant to do. or disap pear in another way. a quieter way. I should have chosen that. I'm so very tired, you see." "Tired of what?" Christopher ques tioned her almost fiercely. "Of playing cat's-paw for him. Tm a coward. I'm horribly afraid of him. He could ruin me. I've helped him sev eral times In country houses, where Tve boen staying. It's nearly killed ma. but I had to do it. This would have been worst of all, though. I love little Millie van Bouten. I bear her no grudge for taking Arrowdale from me. because I didn't love him. It waa only his money and title I wanted needed, if you like. Fits thought I'd be glad of revenge, but Tm not vindictive, X helped only because I was forced to," "Why?" "Oh, it all began with the most awful losses at bridge, and a hundred outside debts to drive me half mad. Once I was mad then, I think I cheated. Fits saw. and saved me, for -this kind of thing. He's in awful straits, too. But the blue diamond will save him, if he gets It. For your sake I hope he will. s well as for mine. He doesn't forget easily." "How did he mean to rid himself of me tonight?" asked Christopher quietly "You can guess. I think. Of course, the story of the pastrycook and the pie, and giving back the Jewels, was a fiction for your benefit. But you would have been asked to stop your car at a certain place. I believe, as if to meet the 'pastrycook,' and then then they wouldn't have killed you. for Fits waa going to disappear and you couldn't have identified the other man. But you would have had a knock on the head, and Fits would have driven your car where he liked. He can drive one or two makes of cars, and he's been tak ing lessons with your kind for the last three days. But now don't ask me any more questions, wll you? I'm so tired, If you are kind, let me rest." Christopher . obeyed and sat silent, driving fast. Neither spoke again un til he had brought her to her own door in Regent's Park. Then, as he stopped Scarlet Runner he broke out: "All this time I've been thinking oS what you've said. I She burst into merry, if nervous laughter. "What I've said? Surely you don't take all that wild nonsense seri ously. Of course I was Joking. It waa ' a fairy-story from beginning to end, believe ma" "I can't." said Christopher. "Then you are the April fool after all. aren't you? But thank you. never theless, a thousand times, for bringing me home. And take care Fits won't be too pleased with you for changing the end of his game." Stunned. Christopher let her slip . away from him. Had it been a Joke, then, the whole thing? He would never quite know, it might be. But he had a very strong theory: and that theory did not prevent him from wl&h lng to see Elolse Dauvray again. (A New. Adventure Next Week)