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Handbook of Nature-Study 



which they became so thoroughly dusted when they visited the staminate 

 flowers? 



8. Cut through the center of one of the smal) green pumpkins. Can 

 you see into how many sections it is divided? Does the number of seed- 

 clusters correspond with the number of stigmas in the flower? Make a 

 sketch of a cross-section, showing where the seeds are placed. 



9. What insects do you find visiting the pumpkin flowers? 



10. Carefully unfold a flower bud which is nearly ready to open, and 

 note how it is folded. Then notice late in the afternoon how the flower 

 closes. What part is folded over first? What next? How does it look 

 when closed? 



1 1 . Describe the stems of the pumpkin vine ; how are they strengthened 

 and protected? Sketch or describe a pumpkin leaf. 



12. Describe one of the tendrils of the pumpkin vine. Do you think 

 that these tendrils could help the vine in climbing? Have you ever 

 found a pumpkin vine climbing up any object? 



TJie Pumpkin Ft nit 



Observations i. Do you think the pumpkin is a beautiful fruit? 

 Why? Describe its shape and the way it is creased. Describe the rind, 

 its color and its texture, and tell how it protects the fruit. Describe the 



stem; does it cling to the pump- 

 kin? How many ridges in the 

 stem where it joins the vine? 

 How many where it joins the 

 pumpkin? Which part of the 

 stem is larger? Does this give it 

 a firmer hold? 



2. Cut in halves crosswise a 

 small green pumpkin and a ripe 

 one. Which is the most solid? 



k-^ Can you see how the seeds are 



^ " borne in the green pumpkin?' 



How do they look in the ripe 

 pumpkin? What is next to the 

 rind in the ripe fruit ? What part 

 of the pumpkin do we use for pies ?' 



3. Can you see in the ripe 

 pumpkin where the seeds are 

 borne? How are they suspended? 

 How many rows of seeds length- 

 wise of the pumpkin? Of what 

 use could it be to the pumpkin to 

 have the seeds thus suspended 

 within it by these threads or 

 fibers? What is left of a pumpkin 

 after the cattle have eaten it? 

 Might the seeds thus left plant 

 themselves? 



4. Is the pumpkin seed at- 

 tached at the round, or the pointed, end? Describe the pumpkin seed its 

 shape and its edges? How does it feel when first taken from the 

 pumpkin? How many coats has the seed? 



A closed pistillate flower of the pumpkin. 



Photo by Verne Morton. 



