154 NATURE STUDY LESSONS FOR PRIMARY GRADES 



into water, what becomes of it ? (It dissolves so we 

 cannot see it.) Could the plant take anything but 

 water through its tiny root mouths ? (It could take 

 other things if they were dissolved in water.) It 

 does this. We do not know all of the things that 

 it takes in this way. 



How does this food reach the leaves? (It first 

 passes along to "the large root," then up the stem 

 to the stalks of the leaves, on through the large 

 veins in the leaves into the smaller ones, and so on 

 to all parts of the leaf, where it is prepared as food 

 and then sent to all parts of the plant to feed it.) 



What furnishes the heat for preparing the food? 

 (The sun.) Yes, the food cannot be made ready 

 unless the sun helps, and so when the sun goes 

 down the work in the leaves ceases. You have 

 noticed that when your mother is cooking, steam 

 arises from the kettles or saucepans. Does steam 

 arise from this food as it is being prepared? You 

 may place several fresh violet leaves under this 

 glass, look at the glass occasionally, and tell us to- 

 morrow what you noticed. On the inside of the 

 glass will be moisture. From what did this come ? 

 Can you see the holes through which it came ? 

 (No, they are too small to be seen.) Through these 



