Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1884 — Wonders of Plant Life. [ARTICLE]

Wonders of Plant Life.

Lord Lindsay states that in tlie course of his wanderings amid the pyramids of Egypt, he stumbled on a mummy, proved by its hieroglyphics to be at least 2,000 years old. In examining the mummy after it was Unwrapped, he found in one of its closed hands a tuberous root. He took it from the mummy’s hand, planted it in a sunny soil, allowed the rains and dews of heaven to descend upon it, and in the course of a few weeks, to his astonishment and joy the root burst forth, and bloomed into a beauteous dahlia. The roots of many plants retain their vitality under intense temperature. Those of the vitex agnus castrus will not be affected though immersed in boiling water, and boiling water may be applied to many others without their sustaining injury. Certain plants also may by their roots absorb some poisons which would be destructive to others. The longevity of the spores of ferns is well known, gome have grown when taken from herbarium specimens after having been gathered many years. A recent writer, Mayer, says he has had them grow at twenty years; but he believes this is about the limit. It is now known that pollen has also a surprisingly long lease of life. A remarkable instance of continued vitality of seeds- has just come to light in Greece. In cleaning away the refuse from the ancient silver mines of Laurium, a lage number of seeds were found, unknown to modem science, but described in the writings of Pliny. The seeds took root, budded and blossomed, bearing beautiful yellow flowers after a burial of at least 1,600 years. Somewhere in the State of Maine a few years ago, a well was dug, the earth, which was thrown out from a great depth, being left on the surface of the ground. The followin'? spring, strange vegetable growths made their appearance, unknown in that part of the country. Who can tell for how many ages tlie c e seeds had slept in their deep, dark beds?