ABOUT TREES

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 45, 25 May 1928, Page 15

ABOUT TREES

Me: PARTON, of Christchurch, told the children of 3YA a whole host of interesting things about trees on Friday night. He wants all boys and girls to love beautiful trees and to Jearn all about them. He said:- , "ON Arbor Day in America a speaker asked all boys and girls to im-. prove their love for trees. He wanted. them to know how useful and beau-. tiful a tree was, and stated that for long years trees had proved themselves just as much the friend and companion of man as a dog or a eat. You will find trees spoken of in every history book that has been written, You will remember reading in the O11 Testament that Adam plucked fruit from one kind of tree and used the leaves of another as clothing. A great Persian poet called for bread and drink while telling his friends about Paradise, but he needed the shelter of a tree to protect him from the desert sun and other causes of distress in this Better Land. Longfellow sought the shade of some elm trees to assist him in writing his poems. In Washingto. the Treaty Oak was planted by the first President of America. CleveJand planted nine hundred oak trees in the main streets to remind the people of all the local soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War. The same has been done in Ballarat, Australia. Pr Christchurch trees connected with the historical visits of several members of the Royal Family have been planted in the Botanic Gardens. HERE is really very litle difference between plants and animals. The germ of life may be either animal or vegetable. Scientists even are not sure which. These germs are very tiny and can only be seen by the aid of the most. powerful microscope, and a great many of them cannot be seen because no glass strong enough has been found. In the case of animals we see the forms as sponges, fish, reptiles, birds, and finally man. In plants we see first germs, pond scum, toadstools, mushrooms, ferns, and seed plants which become our trees. De you know that a tree breathes just as you do, and has water going round and round inside it like the }Plood in your veins. Trees even digest food and the heart of a certain plant is said to beat. We know that the throbs of the sap just like the throbs in our blood have been noticed.

WHEN a tree "goes to sleep" for thé winter, it always does so in a very wonderful way. ‘The first sign that comes to us is a change in the colour of the leaves. Sometimes they turn brown, sometimes yellow; and in many cases crimson and purple, looking as gay in the autumn sunshine ag the flowers. But long before the treeg have taken on their autumn splendour, they have been busy preparing for the great change that is coming later. The beautiful colours of the leaves are a sign to us that other changes have been taking place in the tree. One of the most remarkable of these ig the withdrawal of food from the leaves to the branches and trunk. It would not do to lose this food when the leaves fall to the ground in autumn. It must be stored in the tree itself so when the nights grow, cold a message is sent into every leaf telling it that the stores must be given up. As the food is withdrawn and the leaves get torn away from theix twigs at growing time the tree sets te work to seal the little sores. O you know a chestnut tree? Have you seen the long straight poplars with their funny little question points planted like rows of soldierg along the riverbanks and roadsides? Of course you have. You will alse know the monkey-puzzle and the weepe ing willows. But do you know anye thing of the elm, the ash, the beech, the yew and the spruce? If not you must learn about them as soon as pose sible. CHE parts of a tree to be studied are the leaves, flowers, fruit, bari and trunk or body. Every tree whe it reaches a certain age, bears flowers, some bear fruit and blossoms are ale ways seen. The unfolding of a leaf is one of the wonders of tree life. It i, indeed, a miracle. To-day the budded twigs are sleeping the sleep of winter, and to-morrow the tree breaks out into leaf and blossom. A bud ig simply a baby shoot with its leaves and flowers being formed in readiness for bloom. To-day our apple crops, our peach crops and the flowers of ou» many trees are forming for the come ing spring and I want you children te watch their growth from now onwards, I wonder if you have any idea how much moisture is given off by a tree on 2 hot dry day? Well, Ill tell you! An oak gives off as much ag 28,000 gallons of water during the five months of its growth. This cools the air and makes life in the city more pletsant."