70 LIFE ON THE FARM. 



berry vines. Some of the bulbs and tubers are rich 

 in the starchy foods. 



Flowering plants, in their native state, bear seeds 

 from which new plants start. Those, of course, 

 which have bulbs, tubers, and underground stems, 

 have a double advantage for they start their 

 young from seeds as well as from these under- 

 ground parts. Seeds are storehouses for food of 

 the highest type. 



The final total energy of a plant goes for the 

 production of seeds. It labors day in and day out, 

 from germination to maturity, to gather and organ- 

 ize rich materials to be stored in its seeds for the 

 production of new generations. Annuals exhaust 

 all their energy and die as soon as their seeds are 

 matured. Most of them leave dry, withered stalks 

 for an early and rapid decay; because, practically, 

 all nutritious substances from roots and branches 

 were withdrawn at, and before death, for the final 

 and complete development of the seeds. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF PERFECT SEEDS. 



Of all the parts of a plant that contain food, 

 seeds are the richest with respect to their size. 

 There is very little water in them the food is con- 

 solidated and rich. 



There is very little substance but water taken 

 from the soil during the early growth of plants, 

 but when fhe seeds begin to form and ripen, the 

 richest ingredients are called for. It is then that 



