“Besides all this, a thin root tapers from the round bulb. It is this long tapering root that finds the food and drink in the deep, dark ground for the plant above ground to grow upon,” explained the Farmer.
“Now the interesting thing about a radish is this: the plant stores up food in its root for its own use. It takes the first half of its life to make a great big root, and when the root is fully grown and the upper green leaves are through, it dies. Then there shoots up a long slender stem, and on top of this the flowers of the radish bloom. As these in turn fade and die, the seeds form and the entire plant dies—its work accomplished.
“If we dig up a dried radish plant we will find the round radish entirely changed in appearance. Instead of a juicy red bulb we find a shrivelled colorless root, because the stem and flowers that finally turned to seed ate up all the nourishment the green leaves had given to the radish-root. And the stored up food gone, there was nothing to draw upon, so the root died, too.”
“How interesting! Do tell us some more, Mr. Jones,” exclaimed Vene Starr.
“Well, then, here’s a potato. Is that a fruit, a root, a plant, or a bulb?” asked Farmer Jones, smiling at his catch-words.
“It’s a root,” shouted Don.
“No, it’s a plant—a potato-plant,” said Ruth.
“I think it’s a bulb—like tulips or other bulbs,” added Vene.
“It’s neither, children—a potato is a stem!” said the tickled farmer.
“A stem—what to?” asked many curious voices.