Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1919 — Banyan Tree of India Will Shelter Thousands of Men [ARTICLE]

Banyan Tree of India Will Shelter Thousands of Men

The most remarkable tree in the world, perhaps, is the banyan of India. A tree of this species, on an island in the Nedbudda river, is believed to be the same one that is mentioned by Alexander the Great.’ The branches send down numerous “aerial” roots 1 that grow down to the soil and form props or additional trunks, until a single tree often covers so large an area that it will shelter thousands of mem At the time oFWlexander- the Great’s visit, it sheltered 10,000 men. Under the protecting shade of these trees the Indian merchants still conduct theiri markets. The merchants are known as “banians,” because they abstained., from meat for many centuries, ..but modern pustoms have driven out many of the Hindu’s traditions. —People’s Home Journal.