392 NATURE STUDY. 



discover for themselves that the flower forms the burr, and 

 that the enclosing cup of the bud and flower changes into 

 the cradle which holds the seeds. 



What has each part root, stem, leaves, flower done for 

 the seed-cradle ? 



Scattering of the Seeds. But this seed-cradle does not 

 open, as do those of the milkweed and dandelion. It will 

 not even let the seeds get out. Often it hangs on the 

 burdock-stem all winter, rocking, rocking, month after 

 month, in the wind, but keeping every seed shut in. Anci 

 the burdock seeds have no wings. How are they going to 

 get about in the world ? 



Try to have the little folks think do not spoil it by 

 telling them how the burdock babies travel. Have the 

 children tell how they " catch rides " on wagon or sleigh, 

 or on father's shoulders. What do they have to hold fast 

 with? Are their fingers straight or bent when they are 

 holding fast ? To what does the burdock cradle catch 

 fast ? How does it hold fast ? Draw from them how 

 the burdock "catches rides" from boys and girls, cows, 

 dogs, cats, all sorts of animals. Why ? It has no sails to 

 catch the wind, so it makes other things scatter it where 

 it may find a place to grow better than that about the 

 mother-plant. In the milkweed each seed has a wing; in 

 the burdock the seeds can only lie in the cradle until they 

 are spilled out," or the cradle falls to pieces ; but the cra- 

 dle has hooks to " catch rides," carrying the seed babies 

 with it. 



Other Hooked or Barbed Seeds. The seeds of several 

 other common plants are scattered by means of hooks 

 or barbs. (See Fig. 35.) In most of them the hooks 

 are fastened to the seeds themselves, or to what we 

 must allow the children to call seeds, although the 

 botanists may assure us that they consist of the seeds 



