5S (iUMPSES IXTO PI. A XT-LIFE 



ready to form so man}- colonies when the\' should 

 reach the <:^round. 



One rna\- freciucntly find stems of \arioLis 

 jj;"rasses runnint^- alon^' the ground, and talvint;' 

 root at each joint. 1 ha\e one such spra}- in m\- 

 herbarium, with tweKe \-ouni4' pl^^nts upon it at 

 ret^ular interxals. 



Some plants store up nourishment in their roots, 

 as may be seen in one of our common seaside 

 grasses (Poa bulbosii) ; this soon withers after 

 flowering, and becoming uprooted, its bulbs, which 

 are like small round cheeses strung together, ma}' 

 be seen blowing about in the wind. 



With such a provision as this, the parent plant 

 is able to bear extremes of cold and drought. 



It is well for us that plants have this power of 

 storing up their ff)od underground, for to it we 

 owe such useful tubers as the potato and Jeru- 

 salem artichoke. 



One of our native plants, the earth-nut {BiDiium 

 flcxHosiiui), has a single round tuber which is eat- 

 able when roasted, and is often dug up b)- children. 

 Long ago, when l^ngland was liable to famines, 

 even this small tuber was valued as a means of 



