THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1960
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, ORE.
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Worlds
Around
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By Lynn M. Watkins
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Ever Heard of Lichen?
It Reduces Rock to Dust
The crust-like patches of
gray, greenish, brown or yel
low material found on rocks,
old stumps, evenon pieces of
old concrete left undisturbed
for a time, is a form of lichen.
And it is not just sitting
there idly doing nothing, it is
working. It is one of the agen
cies of Nature. Slowly, silent
ly, but with a dedicated pur
pose, these lowly plants are
reducing the solid rock to
dust.
There are thousands of
kinds of lichens. They are
found growing in the cold of
the Arctic, on rocks baked by
the desert sun, in shady wood
lands, in dark jungles, and in
your own back yard.
Algae and Fungus
The lichen is half plant al
gae and half fungus. Any rock
that has been undisturbed will
usually have growing on it
one or more kinds of lichen.
A tiny algae which is only a
stemless, leafless, flowerless
plant lands on the surface of
the old rock. Here, if for
tune smiles on it, a spore of
some fungus carried by the
wind or shaken from the fea
thers of a bird lands alongside
the tiny algae plant. Fungus
threads and algae have an af
finity for one another, and
they join. There is enough
moisture in the fungus to en
courage growth in the algae.
The algae will eventually
manufacture enough "food"
for them both. They grow to
gether and are lichens.
Now they are in peculiar
scablike clusters, grayish
green rosettes. Let a rain fall
and they become gloriously
green; the algae within them
shows through. Now, too, they
begin the work for which Na
ture intended them to accom
plish, that of reducing the
rock to dust, preparing the
way for higher type plants.
Tiny Factory
Each lichen colony is a tiny
factory: By the chemical ac
tion of its growth it dissolves
the mineral salts of the rock.
At the same time, tiny thread
like roots probe and burrow
into the crevices of the rock,
constantly expanding and
pushing.
One lichen clump grows un
til it touches its neighbor. The
wind another agency of erosion-heaps
dust and debris
and more fungus spores on the
colony. Moss spores come; de
cay enriches the material;
higher forms of plant life find
the place comfortable. Event
ually great forest trees will
grow where once the lichens
paved the way. And all this
time, liny flakes of rock-dust,
loosened by the lichens, break
away from the mother rock.
Winds breathe across the
old stone; dust spores and fun
gas are carried to other wood
lots, to other rocks; the age
less process goes on into the
infinity of ageless time.
Such has been, and is, the
purpose in Nature's complex
plan, of the little grayish
green or yellowish crust-like
irregular growths that embel
lish the bare rocks; these are
the lichens, the tools by which
Nature reduces rocks to dust;
a process that has continued
without interruption, for hun
dreds of millions of years.
(Released by The Register and
Tribune Syndicate, I960)
Herbert Hoover
Praised in Senate
Washington - IUPD - Former
President Herbert Hoover,
who is celebrating his 86th
birthday, got praise in the Sen
ate Wednesday from Demo
crats and Republicans alike.
Democrats, led by Sen. Lyn
don B. Johnson, Tex.), joined
in paying tribute to the Re
publican president and hailing
his long years of service.
Democratic Whip Mike
Mansfield (M o n t.) recalled
that Hoover "was a favorite
target of the Democrats in
other days, but is now a re
vered elder statesman."
Republican leader Everett
M. Dirksen (111.), who started
the tributes, said "the Ameri
can people can symbolically
arise as they contemplate his
fruitful existence and 'hail to
the chief.' "
Dog Honored for
Saving Young Girl
Chicago - IUPD - A majestic
looking German shepherd
named Keg was cited Wednes
day night as the most heroic
dog of 196U.
Keg rescued 22-month-old
Karen McMannis after she
had stumbled into Kelly creek
near Bozeman, Mont.
The dog jumped in after the
tot, clamped his powerful
jaws into her shoulder blades
and towed her to safety.
Keg was the honored guest
mt a banquet in a Loop hotel.
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