92 



PINE CONE 



Drawing and Composition. — Describe tke fruit of 

 a pine tree. Make a picture and also a paragraph 

 about each of the following topics : — 



The whole cone. 



A scale from the cone. 



A seed. 



SUPPLEMENTARY WORK 



Pine Flowers. — A pine tree bears blossoms, but its flowers 

 are not showy. One kind of flower is a cluster of small tassels 

 or balls that give off a yellow dust, or 2^oUen, when the twig is 

 shaken. Look for these flowers on the sides of the newest 

 shoots in late spring. 



Another kind of flower is the young cone. It may often 

 be found on the same twig with the tassels. At first the 



young cones are soft, and 

 purple or yellow in color. 

 They must get pollen dust 

 from the tassel flowers be- 

 fore they can grow and pro- 

 duce seed. This dust is 

 brought to them by the 

 wind. The cones grow 

 through two summers and 

 ripen their seeds in the fall, 

 a year and a half after they 

 begin to grow. During the 

 following winter tliey open 

 and set the seeds free. 



Pine Seeds. — Lying flat 

 under the scales are the winged seeds. Until the seeds are 

 ripe, the scales are pressed tightly together. Put a few un- 

 opened cones on a shelf where they will dry. In a few days 



Spruce Cone and Seed 



