increase in the same ratio, that there must come a time when the number
of organic beings will be in excess of the power of production of
nutriment, and that thus some check must arise to the further increase
of those organic beings. At the end of the ninth year we have seen that
each plant would not be able to get its full square foot of ground, and
at the end of another year it would have to share that space with fifty
others the produce of the seeds which it would give off.

What, then, takes place? Every plant grows up, flourishes, occupies its
square foot of ground, and gives off its fifty seeds; but notice this,
that out of this number only one can come to anything; there is thus,
as it were, forty-nine chances to one against its growing up; it
depends upon the most fortuitous circumstances whether any one of these
fifty seeds shall grow up and flourish, or whether it shall die and
perish. This is what Mr. Darwin has drawn attention to, and called the
"STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE"; and I have taken this simple case of a plant
because some people imagine that the phrase seems to imply a sort of
fight.

I have taken this plant and shown you that this is the result of the
ratio of the increase, the necessary result of the arrival of a time
coming for every species when exactly as many members must be destroyed
as are born; that is the inevitable ultimate result of the rate of
production. Now, what is the result of all this? I have said that
there are forty-nine struggling against every one; and it amounts to
this, that the smallest possible start given to any one seed may give
it an advantage which will enable it to get ahead of all the others;
anything that will enable any one of these seeds to germinate six hours
before any of the others will, other things being alike, enable it to
choke them out altogether. I have shown you that there is no