“But, Uncle George,” said Frank, “are these seeds actually fitted with feathery tops so that they may be carried far away from the parent plant?”
“Certainly, my boy. You would not have them all trying to grow in the place where the parent plant grows, would you? There would be no room for three hundred seeds to grow there. Besides that, the parent plant has already exhausted the soil. It is necessary that they should seek pastures new, and therefore the seeds of most plants are furnished with some means of travelling.”
“Are all seeds carried by the wind?” Tom asked.
“Oh dear no,” Uncle George replied, “plants have many ways of scattering their seeds. Some plants, by suddenly bursting their seed-vessels, shoot their seeds far out; some seeds are furnished with little hooks which grip on to the fur of passing animals; some are carried by birds; but by far the greater number are scattered by the wind.
“We shall learn more about these at some future time. Meantime we will grow a dandelion plant at home, and watch the opening and closing of its flowers, and the wonderful way in which its travelling seeds are produced.”
Exercises on Lesson XII.
1. Gather dandelion flowers at different stages of growth. Draw, on a large scale, a single floret from each, 2. Draw a leaf of the dandelion. Compare it with a primrose leaf. See if you can make out, from the shape of the leaf, why the plant is called “dandelion” (dent de lion = “lion’s tooth”). 3. Take in a dandelion plant bearing young flowers. Keep the root in well-watered soil, or in water only, and watch the growth of its flowers. 4. Make a list of all the wind-carried seeds you know, and give a drawing or short description of each.
TROUT