Fruits and Seeds 19 



When the seed germinates the outer skin of the fruit 

 either splits or rots away and lets the young seedling 

 come through. The acorn which you drew last lesson 

 is a good example of a dry one-seeded fruit. There is a 

 tough skin (in the case of hazel nuts it is a shell) outside. 

 The kernel lies inside this, and right in the middle is 

 the young plant (Fig. 12). Many large and small fruits 

 belong to this type, often called nuts, and, as you found 

 in your practical work the other day, you have often to 

 look at them very carefully before you can tell whether 

 they are fruits or seeds. 



At this time of year if you look under an oak tree 

 you will find many acorns scattered about. Out of all 

 the number that you see many will come to a violent 

 end and will be eaten by squirrels or mice or rooks ; but 

 a few will survive the winter, and, if they have fallen on 

 suitable ground will grow into little oak trees. Choosing 

 out healthy ones take several of these acorns home, as 

 we want to watch the first steps they go through as 

 they become trees. 



PRACTICAL WORK. 



You will be taken for a walk. Collect as many different kinds of 

 fruits as you can, paying special attention to those from trees. Find 

 out the name of each from your teacher. Where the seed-vessel 

 seems to open in a curious way you should try to get an unopened 

 one and an opened one. 



HOME WORK. 



Draw the fruits you collected in your walk. Each drawing is to 

 be about 2 in. across. Print by the side of each its name, class of 

 fruit, and number of times you have magnified it. 



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