Teacher's Leaflet. 1219 



The seed-vessels are pale green, spherical and about the size of peas. When 

 green the tiny shell contains many seeds but never more than one or two of these 

 ripen; the others wither and seem to disappear. When ripe the shell becomes 

 quite hard and turns yellowish brown. The bract also becomes pale brown as 

 it matures and the seed-stem and bract bend sharply away from each other almost 

 at right-angles; this causes the bract to act as a parachute and when tossed in the 

 air it will whirl about and sail quite a distance before landing. A bract not balanced 

 by a seed-stem does not sail nearly so well. 



The basswood seedling is very pretty but does not look at all like its parent. 

 Its twin seed-leaves are very large to have been folded within the little pea-sized 

 shell, and they are five-Iobed instead of being entire like the true leaves. 



Some day, it is to be hoped that there will be in all America no roadway that 

 is unshaded in all its length by trees, useful and beautiful, foremost among which 

 stands the Linden. 



I like these plants that you call weeds, — 

 Sedge, hardback, mullein, yarrow, — 

 That knit their roots and sift their seeds 

 Where any grassy wheel-track leads 

 Through country by-ways narrow. 



They fringe the rugged hillside farms, 

 Grown old with cultivation, 

 With such wild wealth of rustic charms 

 As bloomed in Nature's matron arms 

 The first days of creation. 



They show how Mother Earth loves best 

 To deck her tired-out places; 

 By flowery lips, in hours of rest, 

 Against hard work she will protest 

 With homely airs and graces. 



You plough the arbutus from her hills, 

 Hew down her mountain-laurel: 

 Their place, as best she can, she fills 

 With humbler blossoms; so she wills 

 To close with you her quarrel. 



Her wildwood soil you may subdue. 

 Tortured by hoe and harrow; 

 But leave her for a year or two. 

 And see! she stands and laughs at you 

 With hardhack, mullein, yarrow! 



— Lucy La room. 



