DANDELION 



39 



Why do dandelions, milkweeds, thistles, and other plants 

 spring up on heaps of soil soon after it is thrown out of cellars 

 and wells ? Do 

 you think the 

 seeds had lain 

 buried beneath 

 the ground or 

 were they brought 

 to the heap af- 

 ter the soil was 

 thrown up? Have 

 you seen grass and 

 weeds growing on 

 the roofs of old 

 houses ? How did 

 the plants get 

 there ? 



Notice the 

 seeds in a milk- 

 weed pod. What is the shape of a seed ? What is the dif- 

 ference between the fluff on a milkweed seed and the fluff on 

 a dandelion seed ? If milkweeds are plentiful, you may some- 

 times see their seeds floating high up in the air. 



Pull a ripe cat-tail to pieces. Each tiny bunch of floss on a 

 cat-tail is attached to a seed. How many seeds do you suppose 

 each cat-tail sends out ? Give one reason why cat-tails are 

 plentiful in muddy swamps. 



What other seeds do you know that have fluffy wings ? 



Cotton is the fluff that is fast to the seeds of the cotton 

 plant, like the fluff on milkweed seeds. 



Dandelion Heads 



