2. Ruts are made in the soil by a plough, and into these the seed is cast. Then the soil is covered over them by a harrow, drawn by a horse.
3. Rain and warm sunshine help the grains to grow. They grow into tall, jointed stems, and soon the ears of wheat appear. They are green at first, but the sun ripens them and turns them yellow.
4. Then the wheat is cut, and the new grains are threshed out from the husks which are called chaff. The tall stems make straw. The grains are ground into flour by the miller. We use flour for making bread, cakes, and puddings.
Write and learn:
| Wheat is— | Wheat has— | Wheat makes— |
| A grass plant. | A tall stem. | Flour. |
| Grown from seed. | Graceful leaves. | Foods. |
| Green at first. | An ear. | Chaff. |
| Yellow when ripe. | Grains. | Straw. |
SLATE.
1. Slate is a kind of stone. Rocks, and even mountains, are sometimes made of slate. The great hole made in the rocks by getting it out, is called a quarry. It is got out in very large blocks. Sometimes gunpowder is used to crack the rocks before the blocks can be got out.