COMPOSITE 



communities, and the device always seems to be successful. 

 So let us consider for a moment the advantages of flowers 

 in cities, over solitary flowers or flowers in small clusters. 



You have read perhaps, or have heard other people tell, 

 of times when each man had to make his own house, or 

 fort, or castle, and defend his family as well as he could 

 against enemies. He was obliged to make his own tools 

 and weapons, raise his own food, and make his own cloth- 

 ing from wool, flax and leather that he, himself, provided. 

 But as a country or a race becomes older and more civi- 

 lized, as we say. the defense of the people is left to one class 

 of men, the police or soldiers ; another group of men raise 

 food ; others manufacture tools, furniture, etc.; so each man 

 has a chance to do one thing well. In civilized countries, 

 too, there are some people who seem to take no part in 

 the toil of the community, the leisure classes, we call them. 



In our sunflower or thistle community, the involucre 

 is clearly the defensive part ; besides, it may aid the rest 

 of the plant in food-making. Since the involucre takes 

 the place of individual calyxes, the calyxes may be devel- 

 oped for another use ; so we see them becoming floaters 

 or hooks of some kind, thus aiding in seed distribution. 

 Some of the little flowers furnish pollen, while others have 

 stigmas ready for its germination, and still others, like 

 the ray flowers of the sunflower, serve simply to attract 

 guests. It is possible that our leisure classes, correspond- 

 ing to ray flowers, may also be of some use to our com- 

 munity. Another advantage of flower-cities is, that any 

 good that comes, like the insect visits, can be easily shared 

 by all ; just as men, congregated in cities, can share, with 

 the many others, good schools, good music and other city 

 advantages. 



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