comstock] 



OCTOBER NA T U RE-STUD Y 



327 



An Inner and a Border Floret 



and a Bract of Queen Anne's 



Lace, Enlarged. 



silver maple the lobes are cut very deeply. In the case of the 

 compound leaf this cut is still farther. It is cut away until nothing 

 but the midrib is left, and now we call the lobes leaflets which 

 means little leaves. The leaves of hickories, walnuts, butternuts, 

 locusts, ash, ailanthus, sumac, horsechestnut, and buckeye all have 

 compound leaves. For the study of the compound leaf, use obs. 2, 



P- Ill- 

 Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Car- 

 rot — This encroaching weed has 

 most interesting habits . In early 

 October its beautiful blossoms 

 are still to be found, though not 

 so large and elaborate as those 

 which occur in August . But even 

 in October the blossom clusters 

 show the dark red blossoms at 

 their centers . Each flower head is 

 made up of tiny clusters of flowers 

 and what is especially interesting 

 is to note that the flowers on the outside of the big cluster or umbel, 

 as it is called, have larger petals than those on the inside, thus 



making a lacy medallion of beautiful pat- 

 tern. Another thing to note is the way the 

 little flower clusters turn toward the center 

 as they fade, and how the lacy thread-like 

 bracts lift up around the ripening seeds. 

 The study of this weed may be divided into 

 three lessons: For the first, use obs. 1, 2, 

 3,4, p. 592-3; for the second use obs. 5, 6, 

 7, 8, p. 593. The third lesson should be a 

 study of the plant in the field to note how it 

 takes possession of the ground, and how its 

 foliage and seeds are untouched by animals 

 and birds. See p. 591. 



The white daisy — This sturdy flower of 

 the field continues to bloom through Octo- 

 ber. It is a composite and is similar to the 

 sunflower, except that the banners it waves 

 to attract insects are white instead of yellow, p. 560. For the les- 

 son on the daisy, use Lesson CXXXV, p. 554. It may not be 

 possible for the pupils to see everything brought out in this 



; 1 3 



Daisy Florets 



1. Disk-flower in pollen stage; 



2. Disk-flower in stigma stage; 



3. Ray-flower. All enlarged. 



