SEPTEMBER 25 



pie flowers. These heads are surrounded with an invo- 

 lucre, every scale of which is tipped with a prickle. The 

 flowers themselves are tubular with both stamens and a 

 pistil, and inserted on a receptacle which is thickly 

 clothed with soft hairs. They are fragrant and contain 

 nectar. The fruits have \ k I I r 



abundant pappus, "thistle .v^^^^'V^H *^''''-A// 

 down," by reason of which >3V ''^ .'i- "• ,.J ' jV 

 the thistle is widely dis- ^' ^i ^"ff ''"'' JklX':'^'''''''^ 



J ^jJ^-s^-T^ ^ / / ^i:S^^rr^- STAMENS 



tributed. Indeed, the only "^J^^^''^" '^■||i<,v"^'~-^°''°'-'^ 



way to get rid of it is to cut ,,,,^,.-^l L Wr 

 it down before it flowers, and "^e"^',;''"^^^^ |"||U, M^'^^^' °' "'°'" 

 even this will be of small "^^--^ -^P 



use unless every one in the i ' 



neighborhood does the same "^^'^ °^ '^'^"^ ^''^ ''"'* ^"'^ f'°^«''- 

 thing. The thistle belongs to the order of Composites, so 

 called, because the flower heads are composed of many 

 flowers. To this same order belong most of the common 

 fall flowers, such as the goldenrod, aster, iron Aveed, bone- 

 set, snake root, thoroughwort, cone flower, sunflower, yar- 

 row, tansy, burdock, chicory, as well as the everlasting, 

 the daisy and the dandelion, which bloom in the spring. 

 As the flowers of this family are seldom self-fertilized, 

 the advantage of the closely crowded conspicuous head 

 is evident. Doubtless to protect the nectar from being 

 diluted by the dew and rain, they open only in bright 

 light. 



Metliod : 



Take the children out on a sunny day to observe the 

 bees and to collect material, if this be possible. Thistles 

 are not, however, found abundantly within city limits, 

 and it may be necessary for you to collect the material 



