Nor is this a condition that 

 has just taken shape on" the ap- 

 proach of spring. It existed pre- 

 cisely as ' now even while these 

 winged broods were green and grow- 

 ing on the tree last summer. Our 

 cradled maples could have been disclosed 

 then as well as now. 



And what is true of the maple is true of 

 seeds in general ; the young plant exists ready 

 formed in the seed, often protected between two 

 so-called seed leaves or cotyledons. We may see 

 it prettily illustrated in the pea-nut or in the bean 

 by carefully separating its halves (cotyledons), the plant- 

 let being concealed between them, while in the point 

 upon the outside we see the radicle ready to strike root. 

 So it is in our maple. First the rootlet seeks the soil ; 

 this brings our seed on end. Then the stem grows. 

 The seed leaves now swell and burst the shell, which 

 soon falls, leaving only an interior membrane covering 

 the cotyledons. This, in turn, is soon ruptured and cast 

 off, while the banners then unfurl, and the tiny pair of 

 true maple leaves soon appear between them. 



