AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 



145 



The other Japanese pupils had been very helpful in mak- 

 ing many kinds of new plums of different sizes, colors, 

 flavors, and qualities, that had gone out from the school 



to make the world richer , , 



and happier. There was 

 quite a corner given to 

 their improvement, for 

 there were so many of 

 them. Five hundred 

 kinds had grown to- 

 gether on one big plum 

 tree, at one time, and 

 three hundred thousand 

 were then in the school. 



When March came 

 all the plum trees were 

 white with bloom, shed- 

 ding their petals like 

 snowflakes and filling 



the air with sweet odors. Simoni and Triflora waved their 

 white blossoms, too, and gave out a delightful fragrance, doing 

 all they could to show their gladness that spring was coming. 



The teacher then came to give them aid. First he took 

 out his microscope and examined Simoni's flowers. Yes, 

 there were a few grains of pollen a very few. He care- 

 fully gathered the anthers on a watch crystal and put 

 them in a safe place to dry until the morrow. 



A good little plum. 



