DANDELION DOWN. in 



its seed-time has dawned upon it ? Chiefly this : the 

 silky calyx has developed apace, and has come to form 

 wings whereby the seeds are carried hither and thither 

 by the winds. Not content with producing abundance 

 of seeds, Madre Natura provides for their dispersion 

 far and wide over the face of the earth. There is a 

 wealth of wonderment to be obtained out of the study 

 which begins with a roadside weed and merges into the 

 great question of the diffusion of plant-life at large. 



The dandelion seed, which the wind has wafted 

 through the open window, speaks to us of ways and 

 means of securing the propagation of the flowers by 

 the cunning utilisation of the winds just as in other 

 plants the waters may bear the seeds to distant parts, 

 or as others, again, employ animals to carry their pro- 

 geny and to spread their kind broadcast. Indeed, 

 from all we know about the dispersion of seeds, we 

 are forced to conclude that the contrivance and in- 

 genuity of Nature are nowhere more typically repre- 

 sented than in securing " fresh woods and pastures 

 new " for the growth of plants. 



Even in our dandelion there is found a certain note- 

 worthy feature which is typical of many kindred devices 

 for ensuring the due perpetuation of the race. When 

 the flowers are being fertilised the head stands erect 

 and prominent among the vegetation of the highways. 

 Then, when the seeds are ripening, the stalk is lowered, 

 and the flower lies horizontal or bent towards the 

 ground. This device secures the efficient maturing 

 of the seeds, and, when all is ready, and the ripened 

 pistils or " fruits" are prepared for dissemination, the 

 flower-stalk rises erect once more, and each puff of 

 wind carries off the seeds, borne through the air on 

 their wings. " Thistledown," in this sense, is seen to 



