46 



GOLDEN-ROD 



spring 



look like bees ? A bee has four wings. How many wings has 



ally? 



Golden-rod in a Flower Garden. — Dig up some golden-rod 

 roots in the spring and set them by a fence, or at the corner of 

 an outbuilding. If you move the roots carefully, they will 

 grow and produce a beautiful clump of flowers year after year. 

 Golden-rod grows either from seed or from its old roots 

 which live through the winter and send up new shoots in the 

 Examine 'the roots of a plant. Can you find any sign 



of last year's stalk ? Has it 

 under ground the beginnings of 

 next year's stalk ? 



The National Flower. — The 

 lily is the national flower of 

 Erance, and the thistle of Scot- 

 land. Why would the golden- 

 rod be a good choice for the 

 national flower of the United 

 States ? Do you prefer some 

 other flower ? Which one ? 



Golden-rod Seeds. — After 

 golden-rod flowers wither the 

 head still keeps its shape, but 

 then it looks gray and fluffy. 

 Pluck a ripe head. Where are 

 the seeds ? How large is a 

 seed ? What is on the top of 

 each seed ? Of what use to the seed is the tuft ? How long 

 do golden-rod seeds cling to the stalk ? 



Bird Seeds. — You may often see birds picking the seeds 

 from the naked stalks of bitter weed, or ragiceed, as it is often 

 called. The seeds of this plant are not in the tassels on the 

 ends of the branches. Look at a plant carefully and note the 

 location and size of the seeds. 



Along fence rows and in newly cleared ground the low stalks 



Golden-rod 



