24 Fruits and Seeds 



HOME WORK. 



Which of the following do you call fruits and why : tomato, 

 rhubarb, potato, hazel nut, acorn, artichoke, Brussels sprout, cauli- 

 flower, vegetable marrow, beetroot, ginger, lemon peel, raisin, almond, 

 angelica, French bean, banana, onion, walnut, winter cherry, turnip, 

 fig ? Arrange your answers in three columns, writing in the first 

 the name, e.g. tomato, in the second ' yes ' or ' no,' i.e. it is, or is not 

 a fruit, in the third your reasons for this answer. 



CHAPTER III 



LEAF CASTING. (A WALK) 



Season. Last week in October. 

 Materials required for each pupil. 

 Tivo acorns and two kidney beans. 



When summer merges into autumn and the days 

 grow shorter the leaves begin to change colour. The 

 first frosty night often brings this change, and when 

 morning comes the green of the leaves is found to be 

 touched with yellow. During the next few weeks many 

 splendid tints of gold and red will add beauty to our 

 woods before the leaves finally fall from the trees. The 

 reason for so gradual a change is that the leaf is joined 

 by a living stalk to the stem, and if the leaves Avere all 

 suddenly cut from the tree they would leave a lot of 

 open wounds behind. This is how the trees prevent it : 

 all through the summer moisture has been passing up 

 from the earth into the leaves, but as the weather grows 

 colder the trees live less actively and this drawing up of 

 water gradually ceases. While this change is taking 

 place, a thin layer of what is really dry cork begins to 



