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Personality of plants

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ORIGIN OF PLANTS<br />

belonging to the family Archegoniatae early<br />

established an alternation <strong>of</strong> generation in<br />

which the spores give rise to a small plant which<br />

looks like a Liverwort and bears the reproduc-<br />

tive organs. The fertilized ovum <strong>of</strong> this plant<br />

grows into a leafy, sexless individual which<br />

produces spores non-sexually. We therefore<br />

have a generation endowed with sex organs<br />

making for development and progress, alter-<br />

nating with a sexless generation calculated to<br />

continue the tendencies <strong>of</strong> the race.<br />

It is undoubtedly the sex element which<br />

accounts for those "sports" or mutations in<br />

plantdom which occasionally overstep the limits<br />

<strong>of</strong> species to form new species.<br />

In the luxurious atmosphere <strong>of</strong> the early globe,<br />

vegetation waxed strong and vigorous and at-<br />

tained remarkable proportions. The primeval<br />

woods served to draw the superabundant carbon<br />

from the air and in millions <strong>of</strong> decayed bodies<br />

store it up as graphite, coal, petroleum and il-<br />

luminating gas. The present day graphite beds<br />

alone represent vast quantities <strong>of</strong> ancient vege-<br />

tation. It is a unique experience to be able to<br />

write or draw pictures <strong>of</strong> these prehistoric <strong>plants</strong><br />

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