134 NATURE STUDY BY GRADES 



How do wild fruits plant themselves? Do all seeds fall 

 at the foot of the parent plant? If they should, would they 

 grow and thrive there? Why not? How do the fruit trees 

 contrive to get their seeds scattered, where some of them, 

 at least, may find a good place to grow ? 



In this way develop the fact that the fruit accompanying 

 the seed furnishes food for birds and other animals, and that 

 the latter often scatter the seeds while eating them or taking 

 them to their young. Since plants cannot travel themselves, 

 the fruit is made to induce animals that can travel to do the 

 work of scattering the seeds. Keep this purpose before the 

 class during the few following lessons on fruits ; and where 

 cultivation has changed the fruit much, keep in mind its 

 condition when wild, and the animals that each kind 

 depended upon to do its work. 







LESSON VIII 



FRUITS SIZE AND SHAPE 



Let the pupils arrange the samples of fruit according to 

 size. This will cultivate their mathematical judgment. 

 What is the difference in the price of large peaches and small 

 ones? Is there any advantage to the tree in making its 

 fruits fine and large? Why are large oranges dearer than 

 small ones? Which cherries do the birds select, large ones 

 or small ones? Which seeds are most likely, then, to get 

 scattered, those of the fine large fruits or those of the un- 

 developed, small fruits? 



Why should fruits of different kinds vary so much in 

 size? What animals eat squashes? Do the same ones 

 eat cherries? Show that some fruits are adapted as food 



