Parasite Plants
Parasite means “eating at another’s table.”
Parasite plants are those which fasten upon other plants and steal their food.
Real parasite plants lack all green color, for since they steal food already digested, what need have they for green matter (chlor-o-phyll) by means of which a plant digests its food?
There are also some half parasites, which, while living partially upon stolen food, get some food for themselves.
The pretty waxy Christmas mistletoe is a half parasite. You notice that it has some green coloring or chlor-o-phyll, which it uses to digest the nourishment it gathers from the air.
“My,” exclaimed Eleanor, “I’m glad it doesn’t steal all its food. That shows it’s trying to help itself. It isn’t such a ‘piggy’ as some plants!”
“Oh, not every parasite plant destroys the plant whose food it takes. Not very long ago, human beings found out that the very tiny parasite plants which fasten themselves to peas and beans and other similar plants (called Legumens) are very beneficial to them. They do steal some predigested food, but in return they give to them a much more valuable food, which they have taken from the air. This valuable food is nitrogen.
For this reason, these parasitic plants, or nitrogerms, have been gathered and grown, and are now sold under the name of ‘Cultures for Legumens.’ When applied to peas, beans, clover, etc., they cause them to grow very rapidly, and give very abundant crops.”
“How wonderful!” said Mary Frances.
Just then the fairy clock chimed four.
[CHAPTER XLVI]
How Seed Babies Travel
“COME,” cried Bouncing Bet. “Now, I am going to tell you a wonderful, true fairy story. You never realized, did you, that plants travel? I mean that they travel without the help of human beings.”
“No,” the girls shook their heads.
“You can’t deny that they spread from place to place, can you?” asked Bet.
“Indeed, I can’t,” said Mary Frances; “the dandelions have spread all over our land within a short time.”
“And I’ll tell you how they did it,” Bet went on. “But first I’ll tell you—