PLANTS SOWING THEIR SEEDS 31 



earth, it stands upright with the point of the seed 

 sticking into the ground. From that very end of the 

 seed the roots begin to grow. So the maple seed is 

 able not only to go great distances through the air, 

 but to plant itself quite successfully if it comes to 

 rest in a place where it is possible to wedge even a 

 small point into the earth. 



The queer tumble-weed is a plant that carries away 

 and scatters its seeds itself. It does not trust to any- 

 thing else, and when the seeds are ripe the roots dry 

 up and away the top of the tumble-weed rolls in the 

 wind. 



There are other plants which depend upon their 

 seeds being carried about by animals or people. They 

 have little hooks by which they fasten themselves to 

 the fur of animals or to our clothing. These are very 

 disagreeable seeds. How we dislike to come back 

 from a walk and find our clothes covered with burs 

 or with sticktights or with beggar-needles! Did you 

 ever see a poor dog trying to get burs off his coat, or 

 a cow with the hair on the end of her tail all matted 

 together with them? Yet, disagreeable as they may 

 be to us and our dogs and cattle, these seeds are inter- 

 esting because they show how carefully eveiything is 

 planned to fulfill a distinct purpose. 



The birds and squirrels do their share toward carry- 

 ing seeds and so spreading plants about. Their work 

 is most useful for they carry the seeds of berries and 

 fruits, plants which we are very anxious to have in- 

 crease. For many plants hide their seeds in a fruit, 

 and many more have seeds large enough to furnish 

 food for birds and animals and man. 



