LAWN BEAUTIFICATION 287 



feathery portion which assists their carriage by 

 the wind. 



Other seeds are borne in pods which, when 

 dry, open with a suddenness which throws the 

 seeds great distances. 



Some seeds are borne in fruits which are 

 relished by birds and animals. The seeds in this 

 case are usually small and are provided with a 

 hard coating so that they are not destroyed by 

 digestion in the bird's or animal's stomach, but 

 are carried great distances and on reaching the 

 ground are usually in best condition to ger- 

 minate. 



Most weed seeds have the ability to retain their 

 vitality for a long time. Farmers who have 

 plowed fields deeply have sometimes noticed that 

 a certain weed which was present the year before 

 plowing disappeared entirely for two or three 

 years only to reappear again later. This was 

 due to the fact that the seeds were placed by the 

 deep plowing several inches below the surface, 

 and when the soil was plowed deep again they 

 were brought nearer the surface. In some cases, 

 seeds have been known to retain their vitality for 

 twenty years or more. 



Although weed seeds are provided with many 

 more contrivances to secure a wide distribution 

 than those here mentioned, this is not the only 



