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Seeing Mousie's flower-bed, they ran and jumped upon that, breaking down half the plants, then dashed off through the coops, releasing the hens, and scattering the broods of chickens.
I was forestalled in only one important point, which my vanity has always made me regret, namely, the explanation by means of the Glacial period of the presence of the same species of plants and of some few animals on distant mountain summits and in the arctic regions. In the very few points in which we differed, I still think that I was in the right.
Let us look first at some plants which have their home on the sand-hills. Here is a fine one, like a thistle, with stiff prickly leaves, and a stiff blue stem. In August it has blue-grey flowers. This plant is called Sea Holly, its leaves being like those of the holly. It has an unpleasant smell, yet its roots are used for making some kinds of sweets. Now try to pull up a plant of Sea Holly.
Thus, as I believe, a considerable number of plants, a few terrestrial animals, and some marine productions, migrated during the Glacial period from the northern and southern temperate zones into the intertropical regions, and some even crossed the equator.
Hitherto it had been the custom to devote at least one day each week to hunting, on which occasions they also made trips to such points in the island as had not been previously visited; and it was also a part of their duty to examine the woods and the fields to find new specimens of plants, fruits and flowers; and among the hills and ravines were many kinds of ore, some of which they had been fortunate enough to find on their entry to the island.
In some things like onions and radishes, however, it is better to sow them thick, and then thin them out, so as to get the effect of transplanting without so much labor. In others, like lettuce and all the salad plants, transplanting gives new life and energy and develops the individual plants in a way that will astonish those not familiar with what free development means.
"Eh? does he live there?" "He's dead, and the garden's 'to let; you can just see the board from here. But he didn't live there, of course. People don't live in glass-houses; only plants." "That's a pity, little boy, for their souls' sakes. It reminds me of a story by the way, do you know Latin? No?
This part may be estimated approximately as being about one-third or one-half of the improvement attained. Hence the conclusion that vegetative multiplication gives rise to varieties which are as a rule twice or thrice as good as selected varieties of plants propagated by seeds.
Each season, among my dozen or more hills of pole-beans, there are usually two or three low-minded plants that will not climb the poles, but go groveling upon the ground, wandering off among the potato-vines or cucumbers, departing utterly from the traditions of their race, becoming shiftless and vagrant.
And these wandering perfumes mingled themselves, in passing, with other odors more delicate and more subtle; from each leaf, each petal, each blade of grass, exhaled secret aromas, mute words which the plants exchange with each other, and which revealed to Gilbert's heart the great mystery of happiness which animates the soul of things.
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