FALL PLANT STUDY. 371 



formed from the flowers. The boys and girls should see 

 the plant, or part of it, with the seeds growing on it, and 

 should see the different stages in the formation of the 

 seeds from the flower. In the thistle, dandelion, burdock, 

 stick-seed, and beggar-tick these can usually be obtained 

 at this season. 



The teacher will find much helpful matter and many ex- 

 quisite illustrations in Gibson's Sharp Eyes. Particularly 

 good are the articles on " Seed Tramps," " Ballooning 

 Seeds/' and "Winter Grist for the Birds." 



Plan of Work. Little children cannot, or at least they 

 do not, think of " the seeds with hairy sails," or " the seeds 

 with wings," or " the seeds with hooks." Such generali- 

 zations are too abstract for them. They must gather each 

 class about some concrete example. Hence we should first 

 study such a plant as the milkweed, which is typical of 

 the hairy-winged seeds, and gather about it two or three 

 other seeds with hairy wings ; then we can study with some 

 care the burdock, and gather about it some of the hooked 

 or barbed seeds. Later the ash may be the starting-point 

 and centre for some study of the winged seeds. After- 

 wards the children can gather and sort many kinds of 

 seeds, deciding for themselves whether they are carried 

 about like the milkweed seeds, or like the burdock seeds, 

 or like the maple-seeds, or whether they are not like any 

 of them. 



THE MILKWEED. 



Bring into the schoolroom two or three milkweed stalks, 

 one with leaves but no pods, the others with leaves, pods, 

 and as much of the root or underground stem as can be 

 obtained ; if possible, have a stem with flowers or very 

 small pods. 



Name. ~ Significance of name milkweed ? 



