136 



SUMMER 



rich and juicy and still in growth, nor are most seeds on 

 more barren stalks ripe. But a soft unpalpable dust is 



blown across the field, is 

 sowing itself even on the 

 roofs of houses and against 

 the east side of walls and 

 hedges miles away. In 

 every species there are 

 precocious plants which 

 anticipate the scythe and 

 cutter, but the mass of 

 this dust is shed from the 

 fox-tails. Most children, 

 and perhaps older chil- 

 dren, have enjoyed the 

 peculiar baby pleasure of 

 stroking off the silky seed 

 from these grey -green 

 heads, which mimic the 

 sallowcatkins more closely 

 than the fox's brush. 



How many seeds are 

 peculiarly delightful to 

 handle : the soft fox-tail 

 seed which you pull into 

 your palm ; the hard dock 

 seed that you let trickle 

 through your fingers ; the 

 nut that you squeeze from 

 its patterned sheath ; the 

 smooth satisfaction of a 

 horse-chestnut before it is dulled by exposure. But in a 

 hay-field all your senses are satisfied. Presumably there are 



