100 LIVING PLANTS 



these organs, all being connected with the 

 welfare of the individual plant. After a time 

 special reproductive structures are developed, 

 consisting of seeds or spores and the accom- 

 panying parts that aid in their protection and 

 dissemination. The}^ find their use in continu- 

 ing the race, that is, in providing for another 

 generation of individuals. 



The formation of the vegetative part and 

 the formation of the fruiting part may be 

 treated as separate tendencies in plant life. 

 They rarely proceed pari passu, for usually if 

 one is favored, the other is less favored. This 

 is jjopularly expressed by saying that the 

 plant runs to leaves, or runs to vine, or on 

 the other hand that it runs to seed, or it over- 

 bears. 



The portion of the plant having economic 

 value for food belongs sometimes to the vege- 

 tative, sometimes to the reproductive side. 

 Most fodders, and many culinary vegetables, 

 such as cabbage, radish, lettuce and aspara- 

 gus, belong to the vegetative part, w^hile the 

 grains, fruits and such vegetables as peas, 

 beans, tomatoes and eg^^ plant, belong to the 

 reproductive side. The object of cultivation 

 is to increase the size and quality of the part 

 used, and it is evident, therefore, that one re- 

 quirement of the husbandman must be to 

 learn the conditions which promote the de- 



