PLANTS CARRY LIFE INSURANCE 141 



plant actually buries its children, before they are 

 born! 



A most interesting method of insurance is used 

 by pussy willows. In the very early spring, the 

 baby catkins are covered with downy hairs, which 

 keep them warm, and later the seeds are snugly 

 wrapped in small pods. The willow takes no risks, 

 and its children stand a good chance of success in 

 life. 



The buttonwood, unlike many trees and small 

 plants which send their seed-babies into the world 

 in the autumn, keeps its children at home, attached 

 to the parent tree by means of slender ropes or 

 cords. These seed-children are covered with soft, 

 brown hairs, and are massed together in round balls ; 

 and all through the long winter they swing to and 

 fro in the wind, rocking like babies in a cradle, 

 perfectly protected from the cold. When spring 

 comes, the big seed-pods open, and away go the 

 hundreds of seeds, all seeking a pleasant place to 

 live. 



Plants are frequently self -sacrificing. The 

 mother plant is just as much concerned about the 

 welfare of her offspring as are human mothers. 

 Each little seed goes forth into the big world care- 

 fully prepared to begin the struggle of life for 

 itself. 



