Zbc Stors ot tbe Stem 31 



Again, stems are divided by their manner of 

 growth ; there are straight, upright, much-branching 

 trunks, as the pine, oak, ehn, and others ; there are 

 climbing and twining stems, as the grape and morn- 

 ing glory ; stems that run along the ground, as the 

 pumpkin; stems that sprawl lazily in every direc- 

 tion. Some stems are hollow, as reeds, grasses, oats, 

 and wheat ; some stems are bare runners, which root 

 at their tips, producing new plants. The strawberry 

 is of this last variety, and it is a pleasing experiment 

 to set a strawberry plant in a well-tended plat of 

 ground and see how many new plants it will j^ro- 

 duce from its runners in the course of two or more 

 years. The runner having rooted at the tip, dies off 

 and leaves the new plant to send out fresh runners. 



Plants which gardeners tell you " multiply by the 

 root," are really growing in this fashion, from runners 

 under ground. Many stems can be laid down and 

 covered with earth, and thus forced to send out roots 

 and buds at their joints or nodes, so producing new 

 plants. 



Whenever you find underground a long shoot 

 sending out rootlets and scales, you may know by 

 the scales that this is a stem, for scales are aborted 

 leaves, and only stems produce leaves. Thus the 

 potato has at each of its buds or eyes a thin scale, 

 which is an undeveloped leaf. 



