New Walks in Old Ways 



each thistle pod? How many in each 

 dandelion head? I give it up. Still, 

 I should guess that there are not less 

 than 100 grains in each thistle-bag, 

 and perhaps 150 seeds in every dan- 

 delion top that reaches fruition. You 

 can do some multiplying yourself, if 

 you are interested. 



Then there is that old friend of my 

 youth, the common cockle-burr. I 

 know one use he has, anyhow: his 

 flower provides food for butterflies and 

 other folk. Today I found bugs that 

 looked and acted like own cousins to 

 the honey bee and one that wore a 

 tight-fitting Nile-green satin suit was 

 fairly reveling in these burr blooms. 

 So, you see, they serve an important 

 purpose to others, if not to ourselves. 

 The burr has no defenders that I know 

 of, but those little oat-like seeds you 

 find inside each thorny pod have 

 doubtless value to somebody, if we 

 only knew about it. I know that 

 they have as many lives as a cat, pos- 



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