That more people have not found this out, is because they do not use their eyes rightly.
Every spring hundreds and thousands of baby plants make their way out of the seed shell into the world, just as you saw the baby bean plant do, sending out first its little stem, which pointed downward into the earth and started a root. And every spring there are hundreds of thousands of men and women, and boys and girls, who go through the woods and fields, and across the parks and along the streets, as though they were blind, taking no notice of the wonders all about them.
PLANTS THAT CANNOT STAND ALONE
Already we have learned that some stems grow under ground, and that by most people these are called roots.
And among those which grow above the ground we see many different kinds.
The stem of Indian corn grows straight up in the air, and needs no help in standing erect.
Fig. [123] shows you the morning-glory plant, the stem of which is unable to hold itself upright without assistance. A great many plants seem to need this same sort of help; and it is very interesting to watch their behavior.
The stem of the young morning-glory sweeps slowly through the air in circles, in search of some support.
You remember that the curious dodder acted in this same way, and that its movements reminded us of the manner in which a blind man feels about him.