The Huron Expositor, 1949-10-28, Page 2ditor
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'!ilEAFORTI-1, Friday, October 28
Current Fallacies
•A prize for.the best answers to a
series of statements which frequent-
ly are regarded as being true, was
offered some time ago by R. J. Deach-
• Juan, Ottawa Economist, who is also
well-known throughout Huron. Here
. are the statements:
• 1. The world owes everybody a
living.
2. This is an age of plenty.
3. Production for use instead of
• production for profit would raise the
standard of living.
4. A reduction of the working day
• to six hours and two weeks holidays
with pay, while retaining the same
rate of wages, would eliminate un-
employment.
5. It is possible to increase produc-
tion so as to give every Canadian a
much higher standard of living.
6. The size of the national debt is
wholly unimportant.
7. If we can have good times in
war, we can have good times in peace.
When the answers had been receiv-
ed, the winner was determined to be
W. C. Ward, of Guelph. In his an-
swers, Mr. Wood placed his finger on
many present-day fallacies when he
said:
1. False. The world owes us a liv-
ing only in proportion to our service
to the world.
• 2. False. The greater part of the
world is very, very short of even the
barest essentials.
3. False. Production has always
been for use. Profit, the by-product
of efficiency, is used to create further
• progress.
4. False. Unemployment can only
be eliminated by reducing costs and
prices to the point where demand for
• goods will maintain full employment.
5. True. This can only be achiev-
ed under real freedom of enterprise;
that is, unrestricted competition and
a free market.
6. False. A huge national debt re-
stricts productive capacity, increas-
es taxes and limits capital invest-
ment in productive machinery and
research.
7. False. Eventually we, or our
children, must make the sacrifice
caused by the wastage of war.
If Canadians generally, studied
these assertions and the answers and
Understood the necessity of being
guided by the conclusions which have
• been reached, the economy of the
icountry would be on a sound basis.
•
_Indian Summer—Or Is It?
1 Recent hot weather has resulted
in a discussion in a number of papers
as to whether or not the unusually
Warm spell was Indian Summer.
•gonie claimed it was St. Luke's Sum-
mer, while others contented them -
Selves with saying it was unseason-
bly warm.
Apparently nobody knows any-
thing for sure about Indian Sununer,
•Nthough there is a narrow field of
tement among most authorities
• to its nature—that it is a period -of
ild weather following the end of
•he normal summer leason and is
•Oharacterized by warm days and a
0014 sorneWhat smoky atmosphere,
•r `i; foi dates', it may come any time
iieWeen September and January,
•Axid as fdr duration, it may last days,
'eelts,ir Motithg.
Ceording to somebody in the
her DUreau, "Indian Summer i
l4yterm. its a peisorial phenome-
ot ameteoroit0ea1 oneif you
ink it's Indian Suramer—Why, t
WS. Indian Summer, The conditions
that caused Ie warm weather were
perfectly ordinary ones. Warm air
moved up from the Gulf States under
clear skies and on its way settled
closer to the earth, warming itself
still further. The smoky, hazy at-
• mosphere of warm, dry spells in the
fall is a consequence of the working'
of a couple of natural phenomena:
(a) dust, smoke particles, and so on,
rise more slowly in cool air than in
warm air, and (b) air near the earth
cools off .at sundown and remains
cool during the night. Fall days be-
ing short, the period of coolness is
long, and less dust, et cetera, rises
out of the lower atmosphere."
Indian Summer was for a long
time a term peculiar to this contin-
ent, but in recent years has become
popular in England. The English
have, however, a set of terms of their
own for post -summer warm spells.
When they get fine weather in Sep-
tember, they call the period of its
duration St. Austin's, or St. Angus -
finds, Summer; in October, St.
Luke's Summer; in November, St.
Martin's Summer. To the Welsh and
Belgians, our Indian Summer is St.
Michael's Summer; to the Germans,
St. Gall's Summer or the summer of
old women; to the Bohemians, St.
Wenceslau's Summer; to the Swed-
ish, St. Briget's Summer. In Lom-
bardy, it's known as St. Theresa's
Summer, and in France it's known
as St. Martin's Summer. However,
it's all the same weather.
How the term Indian Summer
came to be applied is in dispute. One
theory is that the ruddy autumn sun
resembles the complexion of an In-
dian; another that it was an Indian
custom to set fire to underbrush and
that the fires caused the haze that
goes with Indian Summer; another
that the word "Indian" in "Indian
Summer" has much the same value
it has in the phrase "Indian giver"—
the warm weather is falsely, or mis-
chievously, given and is apt to be
suddenly snatched away.
•
Human Homes for the Aged
For some tithe consideration has
been given by Ontario authorities to
the manner in which accommodation
is provided for the aged—those peo-
ple who in many cases, through no
fault of their own, find themselves
at the twilight of their life in the
position of having to depend on the
State for accommodation. The trend
is away from that type of institution
which for years was known as "the
poor house."
In a recent issue of the "Canadian
Doctor," a correspondent discusses a
move in Great Britain, and in other
European countries, to provide sep-
arate accommodation for elderly
couples.
"Huge establishments are being
closed," he says, "and supplanted by
smaller homes despite the shortage
everywhere of family dwellings and
building materials. Municipal auth-
orities in Britain are erecting for
elderly couples comfortable little cot-
tages facing on a garden court, each
having in addition a small garden in
the rear for cultivation by the ten-
ants. Similar programs are under
. consideration in Australia.
"Field surveys conducted in Eng-
land have revealed that 95 per cent
of old people live and desire to live
independent lives, either alone or as
couples. They are wining to put up
with a good deal of hardship to re-
tain their independence. It has been
found that, with few exceptions, ex-
isting institutions are unsuited for
their requirements. It is not only
cruel but harmful to the mental
health of old persons to herd them
into' these regimented establish-
ments. Smaller homes, with the pos-
sibility of longer, more contented
lives, should be provided for such
people, especially since they cost no
more per person to maintain than an
institution,"
The problem of mecessity will be-
come more acute as the proportion
of old people in our population in-
creases. We cannot help but agree
with the .Correspondent when he
says: "The point is that we may at
the present be setting a pattern and
We should want to do it right. The
idea of institutional care for the aged
is.outmoded; it cannot even be sup -
'jotted on economic grounds!'
"FEATHER -TICKS?
With the world in a tatTleil and
the threat of war hang over it
constantly, I waa rather eUrprised,
to see several of the editoyiel writ-
ers of the daily rewsPaPera engag-
ed la a controversy on. 1e relative
qualities of the oldlaghioned fea-
ther -tick.
HArrY J, B0 0
the -process started all Over agaia.
But I do challenge anybody for,
a more luxurious feeling than -te
sink into a, freshly tiled feather -
tick. You imye a grand feeling of
floating in space, with .billowy soft
clouds rolling up ou either aide of
you ... and you feel that you will
enjoy the best sleep of a, life -time.
For some time you lie, there' in,
drowsy contemplation of the plea-
sure that is yours. But then it
gradually comes to you : . you
have too much luxury to sleep. $o
you endeavor to flatten out the
tick and then lie down, only to
find that its billowing up gradually
on each side of you again. When
you stretch out your arms they
seem to be lying on. a ledge on
each side. The leathers have sep-
arated and you find, yourself lying
on a layer of ticking and the
boards or slats of the bed . , . or
if you are forttmate, it may be
springs of the bed.
This will never do. You -roll out
to one side in the bed and, picking
up the side of the tick you endeav-
or to spread the feathers out even-
ly in the tick. Whoop! You find
yourself Tolling out of • bed, and
grasping with both hands find that
a tick offers little to hold on to.
It gives you no moral support at
all, except to roll on top of you
as you roll out of bed.
Then you endeavor to get the
tick ,back on the bed. This you
may accomplish if you 'are a for-
tunate man, and then gritting your
teeth at last fall asleep to dream
of being smothered by a shower of
feathers from the sky.
In cold weather the covers slide
around on the ticking and unless
you virtually imprison yourself be-
tween the mattresses, you will
freeze. In summertime the ticking
seems to gather all the heat it
can with a view towards torment-
ing you.
And then just about the time
you get accustomed to it, and the
ticking is spreading out evenly,
the good wife determines to wash
the feathers and bring them back
to their former state or -fluffiness
. . . and it starts all over again.
Having Mating to Joe?, X hereby
toss nay hat in the ring on the
same very contentious subject!
There is a great deal can, be said
both for and against, feather ticks,
but I would like to VI) farther back
and talk for a moment or two
about straw -ticks.
That first night when the tick
was filled with straw and: Tolled on
to the bed was one to be long re-
membered. It was a monstrous af-
fair that bulked up and Made you
feel as if you were clinthing a
mountain or an elephanta'AG get
astride of it. You pounded a nest
into it, and then lay down to sleep.
As usual you turned just before go-
ing to sleep and then discovered
that you rolled down perilously
close to the edge of 'the bed. Des-
perately you clambered begat, up to
get on top once more. Then you
began to feel the straw through
the ticking. It pricked and you
started to wonder if it could be
Passible you had gathered any of
the insects len, when you gathered
up the straw. Soon the straw start-
ed balling ulf in lumps and you be-
gan to feel as if you were sleeping
on clay lumps that were occasion-
ally pulverizing and reforming as
you tossed and rolled.
Gradually the straw tick .began
to flatten out. It took unto itself
a shape and ecame through time
as rigid as a, board as the straw
became beaten and rolled into a
sort of pulp. Men came the day
when Mother told us to gather new
straw, for the ticks. We pitched in-
to the job like Indians into a war
dance. It was a pleasure to dump
the chaff out of the ticks, and fill
in with the new long wheat straw,
until the ticks were like baby
blimps . • . and then they were
lugged back into the house and
mama
there once lived a fellow named
Plato • who hoped for a,, "Ideal
State Or • but though he would
hy it • be lacked Fi, bis diet •
the- then undiscovered tomato •
TTTTTTTTTT 01/ VIATIONAll 11 TTTTT 4.11D Wit /011
Just A Smile Or Two
Diner; "I'se so hungry that I
could eat a horse."
Waitress: "You certainly found
the right place, sir."
•
Jane: "Why didn't you shave
before taking me to the dance?"
Jim: "I did."
Jane: "When?"
Jim: "Just before
to wait for you."
•
A kidnap gang wrote a promin-
ent businessman: "Unless ,ypu pay
us five thousand dollars, well kid-
nap your wife."
"I have no money," was his re-
ply, "but I'm interested in your
proposition."
I came over
•
A man bought a parrot and tried
to teach it to talk. Going over to
the bird, he repeated for several
Minutes the words, "Hello, hello."
At the end of the lesson the par-
rot opened one eye and answered
drowsily, "Line's busy."
•
After a visit to dancing school,
one mother advised her small
daughter that she should not just
dance silently like a totem pole;
talking to her partner was also a
part of the social picture.
On a later visit the mother saw
that, each time the music started,
the same little boy tore across the
floor, bowed to her daughter, and
swept her away to the music.
On the way home the mother
asked why the same lad chose her
for every dance.
"Oh, him!" her small daughter
explained. "I'm telling him a con-
tinued murder -mystery!"
Huron Federation of
Agriculture Farm News::
Foundation Stock Seed Program
In accordance with the regula-
tions of the Canadian Seed Grow-
ers Association, institutions or in-
dividuals who have varieties ap-
proved by the Association are re-
quired to produce foundation seed
stocks of those varieties. This seed
is then distributed to registered
seed grown for further multiplica-
tion. It forms the basic seed stock'
of the approved variety and must
therefore truly represent the var-
iety, says R. M. MacVicar, Forage
Plants Division, Central Experi-
mental Farm, Ottawa.
The production of foundation
stock seed of high quality and
purity is an exacting talk even for
the plant breeders concerned with
it. Most of Canada's perennial
grasses, clovers and alfalfa are
normally cross-,pollinatecl. Conse-
quently at the outset the producer
must cope with, the troublesome
problem of isolating the foundation
seed blocks in order to prevent
contaminiation by other varieties
of the same species. Seed blocks
must be carefully rogued for off -
type plants. and to do this it is
frequently necessary to grow large
individual plant nurseries. Only
land that is relatively free of
weeds can be used, since it is nec-
essary that the weed count in this
type of seed be kept to a mini-
mum. Harvesting must be care-
fully done so that seed of excep-
tional quality' will be obtained.
Mechanical mixtures have to be
avoided, so harvesting and thresh-
ing and cleaning machinery must
be thoroughly cleaned before the
seed, is passed through it.
Foundation stock seed produc-
tion is an expensive and painstak-
ing task. For this reason it is nec-
essary to limit production to the
minimum, keeping in mind the es-
sential needsof the registered
seed growers. The cost of produc-
ing foundation stock seed is ex-
trentely high and cannot be recov-
ered from the grower. The pre -
duces' can only be repaid 'by the
knowledge that real benefits will
eventually accrue to the farmers
from the foundation stock seed
prograM.
* * *
No oqe has given a simple Oa
plariatien of hoW 2,4-D kills a.
plant or why It ldfla gone Matta
and iot othere. It la known that
Years- Agone
Interesting Items Picked From
The Duron Expositor of Twen-
ty-five and Fifty Years Ago.
its herbicidal action is most pro-
nounced when applied, on fast
growing plants. Other remarkable
characteristics of this chemical
which means death to so many
plants, are that it is not poisonous
'to animals, it is not corrosive to
metals, and it is not inflammable.
Seen In 11
Belgrave Store Sold
Mr. Charles Hopper, of Belgrave,
sold his general store this week to
Mr, Harold Walsh, of town, who
will ,take possession around Nov.
1,—Winghatu Advance -Times,
Sustains Cracked Anble Bone
Mrs. William Balfour sustained
a cracked bone in her ankle when
the ladder from which she was
cleaning windows the latter part
of the week, slipped, throwing her
to the ground.—Mitchell Advocate.
Presentation Made To Members
After the ramming aervice in the
United Church, the mgmbers of the
choir gathered in the ladies' .parlor
and presented Mr. and, 1VIrs. Rus-
seLi with a silver tray and
extended best wishes to this popu-
lar young couple.—Wingham Ad
vance-Tinaes.
From The Huron Expositor
, October 24, 1924
A few of the sportsmen of Win-
throp went hunting last Saturday
afternoon and were very success-
ful. They also came across some
bees and brought home about fty
pounds of )10 -flay in the comb, an
by appearances the bees did not
let them have all their own way.
The plebiscite vote in Seaforth
resulted as follows: Division No,
1, 0,T.A., 136, Government Control,
48; No. 2, 162, 36; No. 3, 91, 64;
No. 4, 47, 54; No. 5, 88, 46; No. 6,
309, 52, The majority for the
O.T.A. was 663.
Since the local rink of bowlers,
composed of W. Thompson, Russell
Sproat, Rose Sproat and J. M. Mc-
Millan, skip, succeeded in lifting
the Joynt Challenge Trophy at
Luoknow, the local green has been
the liveliest place in town. Almost
every day some visiting rink has
been here after the trophy, but all
cases have been turned down, as
the greens are closed for the sea -
Mr. J. E. Daley, Mr. and Mr .
Peter Daley and Mise Sarabel
Daly were in Walkerton visiting
relatives on Sunday.
Mr, C. Aberhart, 'D.D.G.M., of
Soutr Huron Masonic Lodge, paid
an official visit to Parkhill Mason-
ic Lodge on Tuesday evening last.
He was accompanied by A. D. Suth-
erland, A. A. McLennan, W. E.
Southgate, H. Jeffrey, C. A. Ba -
ber, J. G. Mullen and K. M. Mc-
Lean.
Miss C. Tye, soprano, and Mrs.
Edwards, alto, of Goderich, will
sing Gounod's "0 Divine Redeem-
er" in First Presbyterian Church
on Sunday evening.
On Sunday last the young son of
Mrs. Jean Hart had the misfortune
to break his arm while cranking a
car.
Mr. Stewart Robertson, of Cram -
arty, has been awarded the con-
tract for delivering the mail on
R.R. No. 1.
Mrs. D. Ritchie gave a very in-
teresting and convincing temper
an,ce address in Cromarty Church
on Sunday morning. '
St. Andrew's Church, Kippen,
was the scene.of a pretty wedding
on Saturday last, when Miss Ev-
elyn Isabelle Forsyth was united
* *
Prevent Fires Before They Start
Furnaces will soon be lit in most
farm homes against the coming
blasts of 'winter. Among the dozen
r tat common causes of fires in
rural Canadian homes those orig-
i-ating from heating and cooking
equipment are prominent Here is
the list of common causes': Chim-
ney,. of sub -standard construction;
sparks from dity chimneys; faulty
smokepipes and stove 'installa-
tions; seasonal grass and bush
fires; spontaneous igniti?n of hay;
worn-out shingle roofs; lighted
lanterns; misuse of electrical
equipment; threshing operations
with gasoline powered engines.;
matches or smoking in_outtuilld-
ings; lightning.
The time to prevent a fire is
before it starts. Chimneys and
smoke -pipes can be checked, gaso-
line can be stored away from main.
.buil,dings, oily rags never left
lyineabout.
Ain excellent fire prevention, on
the .farrn is a roof ladder. Keep
a few buckets of water ready for
use and a number of water bar-
rels at suitable pointsis an added
precaution. Bat they are worse
than Useless if 'the Water is frozen
solid should a sudden emergency
arise, earchoose a reasonably warm
A standard two -and -a -half soda
acid fire extinguisher is often a
weapon which will scotch an in-
cipient fire and prevent disaster.
* •.*
Cattle Markettrigs Up; Hoge Balkh
In reviewing the livestock situa-
tion to date in "Current Review of
Agrieuituiral Conditions in Canada)
a ',publication of the Eeonotaiee
Dominion Department of
Agrictilture, it is reported that
inarketings as well all ekports, of
cattle taMitinue to be higher in 1049
thin dining comparable tierioda Of
1948. The reediting., Smaller Sup-
plies Of b56l On the, domestie
Market, tegetlier With Smaller slip• -
(Oontiiined Mt Page 7)
in marriage to Mr. Thompson Scott
of Seaforth.
tura l habittit' further Death, are
being seea.—lhalsaele Poat.
Loses Part of Index Finger
Freak Longman, Hallett Town-
ship farmer, lost apart pt the in-
dex fingeeon his left hand while
assisting a neighbor, Clarence
Crawford, at a woodeavviag bee.
He was throwing wood away from
a saw, when a stick. !wean?, jam -
mad and drew hie hand into con-
tact with the talsw.. The 1104er Waia
completely severed at the secOnd;,
Joint.—011inton News -Record,
Killed By Tractor
Roes Cameron, 17 -year-old son or
Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Cameron, of
Cranbrook, was killed, Wednesday
morning in a fall from a tractor,
The fatal accident occurred when
the youth, with his younger broth-
er, Alex, was driving the tractor
from his home to the farm, of WM-
Perrie, where he was employe&
The brother rail to the home of
Williain Petrie for help. Medical
aid was summoned, but the boy
was dead when Dr. Myers., of Bras-
sels, arrived.—Brussels Post.'
Purohases 350 Feeder Cattle
Mr. William Eilerington return-
ed home last week after -a trip to
the West ,going as far as Calgary,
where he ,purchased 350 head of
feeder cattle. The cattle are .prac-
tically all white-faced Herefords,
and took a number of car loads to
bring them down.—Exeter Times -
Advocate.
' Marks 30th Anniversary
M. and Mrs. Albert Haggitt
celebrated their 30th wedding an-
niversary on Saturday and on Sun-
day 25 relatives and friends gath-
ered at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
William Riehl to celebrate the ev-
ent. They were presented with a
gift from their family along with
hearty , congratulations. — Blyth
Standard.
From The Huron Expositor
October 20, 1899
• Despite the disagreeable night
large number of the members, of
Britannia Lodge and their friends
assembled in the lodge rooms on
Tuesday night for their annual a -
home. Cards were played' during
the first part of the evening, which
was followed by a program of
songs with Mr. W. Ballantyne in
the chair. Those" taking part were
W. H. and Frank Willis, Wm, Mc-
Leod and G. B. Scott,
Mesers, John Beattie and J. 0.
Rose, of Seaforth, left recently for
Watford, where they intend hunt-
ing for quail.
The stained glass windows in
the Methodist Church, Seaforth,
Which were _broken by the hall
storm of some months ago, have
been sent to London to be repair
ed.
Mr. Wellington Fee, of Blake,
has refused an offer of $200 for
his driver., This horse is one of
the ,best to be found in the coun-
ty, having taken prizes' at the
fairs whereyer sbOwn.
The oyster supper held in the
Thames Road) Presbyterian Church
on Tuesday for the purpose of de
fraying some expense in connection
with the Manse stable, was a suc
OMB.
Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Scott, Bruce
field, have returned from a trip to
Chicago.
Mr. John Berry, of McKillop, has
sold hie farm, south, half lots 34
ard 35, concession 12, to John
Shannon, while Mr. Shannon has
sold his farm, south half lot 32,
Concession 14, to Richard Lyon, a
ueighbor.
John M. Gov‘lock has purchas-
ed 25 acres, part of lot 26, con. 8,
from W. G. McSpadden, for $1500,
and will move his' tile plant from
Walton.
The annual meeting of the Sea -
forth Curling Club 'Was held hi the.
Grip Hotel Monday ev4ning. A new
slate of officers were Wetted. Mr.
Robertson, of the Collegiate Insti-
tute, was elected secretary-treasr
liver in &tee of john Weir, and.
the other Officers are as follows:
Patron, Jae. MeMichael;/ president,
Wm. ,Arnent; videppresident, 3. A:
Wilson; sec.-trea4 H. S. Robert-
Seln; skips', J. A. Wildon, W. D.
tright, ileoPattgraort,' Mitt 'tinni-
er, Jr., Alex Wilson, Wm. Pickard,
I). D. Wilson, B. 0. Coleman WM.
Ament, W, X. Pierce andThcomas
rticherdaen.
Injured While Picking Apples
George King is confined to bedi.
and suffering considerably follow-
ing. an accident about noon OIL!
Tbursday. He hadi driven down to.
_Frank Keegan's and was standing,
up on the seat of the buggy, pick--
ing apples off a tree. When the
horse took a step forward he lost.
his balance and fell over the back,.
hitting his head on the ground. Mr..
Keegan helped him into the buggy
and, drove him home. 'Fortunately
no bones were .broken and Mr.
King's many friends hope that he
will soon be u,p and about again as.
usual.—Clinton News -Record.
Trailer Breaks Loose
On Monday afternoon as Mr.
Cletus Rettinger was driving south
on Josephine Street, the trailer at-
tached to his car, broke loose. Run-
ning between the pumps of Mur-
ray Johnson & Sons garage, with
the tongue iu the air, it came to a
stop, breaking the plate glass in
the garage: — Wingham Advance -
Times,
Marks 93rd Milestone
Hearty congratulations are ex-
tended to Mr. William H. Camp-
bell, oldest and •highly- respected
resident' of the Westfield commun-
ity, who celebrated his 93rd birth-
day on October 19. Mr. Campbell,
who resides with his son Albert,
possesses a keen mind, is active,
and greatly enjoys the companion-
ship of his family and many
friends.—Blyth, Standard.
Wolf Killed By Gar
William Smith, Grey Township,
was somewhat startled! to find that
he had killed a wolf. Mr. Smith
was driving eking the sideroad in
the vicinity of his own farm, when
his car struck •the antraal. On ex-
amising it, Mr. Smith found; it to
he a 31 -pound female wolf. Such
incidents have occurred elsewhere
recently, but this is the first one
reported in this district. More
and more wild animals, whose na-
Caven Observes Anniversary
The eighty-eighth anniversary or
Caven Presbyterian Church was -
held on Sunday with Rev. George
Lamont, of Mitohell, as the guest
speaker, and Mrs. Lamont, the
former Kathleen Strang, of Us -
borne, as soloist for both the ser-
vices. Special music was provided
by ,the choir. Splendid congrega-
tions were present for the occa-
sion. Main St., James St. and Triv-
itt Memorial churches withdrew
their services in the evening. At
the evening service Mr. Lamont
took for his text, Daniel 11:32:
"The people that dno know their
God shall be 'strong and do ex-
ploits." Exploits are the deeds of
courage that make men known
long after they are gone. There
are those who have laid down their
lives rather than forsake their
God. Others have forsaken their
covenants to save t,heir life. There
are thoswho entry favor while
others shrnd earl to their convic-
tions. Daniel in the lion's den was
one example. It is not necessary
to lay down our lives for our faith,
but every man will show the re-
ality of his faith by the way he
lives. In these decisive times we
need men of faith in all walks of
life who will proclaim their faith
in the God whom "they profess to
serve.—Exeter Times -Advocate,
00.0.0000.0••••••••••00.00•;.../.....0.004..000....1*,
How Nature Renews Life
on an Island (BY -P. W. went in the Scientific
American)
At two minutes past 10 on the
morning of August 27, 1883, one of
the most violent explosions ever
experienced by man occurred on
an island between Java arld,
Sumatra in the East Indies. Al-
though the nearest inhabited place
was at least 25 miles distant,
36,471 .persons in the region were
killed, mainly by drowning in the
tidal wave that followed the ex-
plosion. The blast was heard more
than 1,000 miles.
The source of this awesome de-
tonation was the blowing up of the
central part of Krakatoa, a vol-
canic island. When men first dar-
ed to approach the island two
months later, a .sea 800 feet deep
covered the major part of the is-
land, where the volcanoes Perbuat-
an and Danan had once stood.
All that was left of Krabatoa
was a ragged, 2500 foot peak, It
was covered With a thick layer of
smoking pumice and ashes. All
animal life, of course, had been
wiped out. Not a tree, shrub or
other plant survive,d.
A place so utterly desolate
would hardly seem a promising
site for an investigation of how
plants and animals become distri-
buted over the earth. When one
gives the matter a little thought,
however, he can see that such a
sterilized, island offers a marvel-
lous opportunity for just such. a
study. To resettle sterile ,Kraka-
toa Island, all seeds, spores. and
animals bad to cross a 25 mile
s.retch of sea. There was an is-
land closer than this, Sebesi, about
twelve miles north of Krakatoa,
but •most life on Sebesi had been
destroyed 5y toxic gases and a
thick layer of 'lash.
In May, 1884, nine months after
the eruption, the French botanist.
E. Cotteau visited, Krakatoa. He
reported: "In Spite of all my in-
vestigations, I was unable to ob-
serve any trace of animal Or plant
life with the, exception of a single
spider; this 'hardy pioneer of re-
mttlement was busy spinning its
web."
Three years after the eruption,
a party led by the Dutch botanist
Melchior Treub found a very dif-
ferent •situation. On the heath,
were growing many of the ,plants
eommonly foUnd along tropical sea-
shores, Farther inland Traub
found many ferns and torhe gas.
e, but very &IV other plants.
lit was another 10 years before
the island was revisited by bOtan-
ists. /37 then it was fairly well
a wide scattering of wild sugar
cane, Four species of soil inhab-
iting orchids were found. On the
shores grew young cocoanut trees. -
In general, vegetation was ranch
more abundant on the shores than
in the interior.
It was not until 1906 that the
island was densely covered with
plants. The vegetation was then
mostly grass, with some trees here
and there. By 1920. trees had tak-
en over perhaps half of the sur-
face, and in 1930 the whole island.
was again covered with a dense,
though low and young, forest.
Since the vegetation of Krakatoa
had been so completely destroyed,
new plants could develop only from
seeds and spores that were some-
how transported to the island from
other places. How might they
have been; carried?
In the first Place there is the
wind. Very light spores or seeds
can be carried by even gentle air
currents, Bacteria, for instance,
are floating everywhere in the air,.
even in a perfectly quiet room.
Spores of ferns are no heavier
than pollen grains. It is significant
that almost .half of the plants. ob-
served on Krakatoa three years.
after the eruption were ferns,
whereas ordinarily ferns constitute'
no more than 10 to 20 per cent of:
a stable tropical vegetation.
Orchid seeds are almost as light
-
as fern spores; these are many
millions of them in an mince. Most
orchids require trees to grow on,
or at least rich 'humus.; yet in
spite of the handicap of poor soil
and treelessness on Krakatoa, 13.
years after the eruption four spe-
cies! of orchids, were flowering
there, which shows that great
numbers of orchid trees must have.
been blown to the island.
Some of the first grasses found'
after the eruption undoubtedly al-
so arrived, on the wind It is esti-
mated that about 40 per eent of
al: species of ,plants now Jiving on
Krakatoa .arrived there by this,.
Means.
The seeds of tertain other plants -
on. Krakatoa, such as the cocoa-
nut palm .found floWering on its:
shores, in 18.96, are too heavy to,
be carried by what The big cocoa-
nuts from which these trees sprang:
Must have been brought by the.
gli54. Cocoanut palms grow .along
the shores of all tropical islands.
fn the Patine and Indian Oceant.
When the cementite drop off, many
get washed away by the sea.
The fruits and seeds of Most
other tropical shore plants are•
ettrered with green: Here atid ehailarly carried by sett cUrrents.
thare Stood grovet Of Caatittrinal tXPeriments" have shown that.
(the horsetail tree), tend there 'as' (Cotitintied titt Page 7)
t'
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