Mi Id-Flower Study 



555 



ners for? Is it to attract us or the insects? Has the banner-flower any 

 stigma or stamens ? 



3. Study the flowers at the center. Are they open, or are they un- 

 folded, buds? Can you make a sketch of how they are arranged? Are 

 any of the florets open? What is the shape and the color of the corolla? 

 Can you see the stamen-tubes pushing out from some ?. What color are 

 the stamen-tubes ? Can you see the two-parted stigmas in others ? What 

 color is the pollen. Do the florets at the center or at the outside of the 

 disk open first? When they first open, do you see the stamen-tube or the 

 stigma ? 



4. The flower-heads are protected before they open with overlapping 

 bracts, which may be compared to a shingled house protecting the flower 

 family. As the flower-head opens, these bracts are pushed back beneath 

 it. Describe the shape of these bracts. Are they set in regular, over- 

 lapping rows? Are they rough or smooth? Do they end bluntly, with a 

 short point, with a long point, with a spine, or a hook? How do the 

 bracts act when the flower family goes to sleep? Do they remain after 

 the seeds are ripened ? 



5. Take a flower-head apart, and examine the florets. Can you see 

 what part of the floret will be the seed ? Is there a fringe of pappus above 

 it? If so, what will this be on the seed? 



6. Study the ripe seeds. How are they scattered? Do they have 

 balloons? Is the balloon close to the seed? Is it fastened to all parts of 

 it? 



Goldcnrcd. 



THE GOLDENROD 

 Teacher's Story 



Once I was called upon to take some 

 children into the field to study autumn 

 flowers. The day we studied goldenrod, 

 I told them the following story on the 

 way, and I found that they were pleased 

 with the fancy and through it were led 

 to see the true purpose of the goldenrod 

 blossoming: 



"There are flowers which live in vil- 

 lages and cities, but people who also 

 live in villages and cities are so stupid 

 that they hardly know a flower city 

 when they see it. This morning we 

 are going to visit a golden city where the 

 people are all dressed in yellow, and 

 where they live together in families; and 

 the families all live on top of their little, 

 green, shingled houses, which are set in 

 even rows along the street. In each of 

 these families, there are some flowers 

 whose business it is to furnish nectar and 

 pollen and to produce seeds which have 

 fuzzy balloons; while there are other 



