4. THE LIMA BEAN. 



IV AY name is Lima Bean. I have come to show 

 you what my kind old mother has done for 

 me. She has given me a heavy white coat to keep 

 me warm. If you soak me in water, you will find a 

 pretty ruffle around my coat. 



If you pull this coat off, I shall break 'into two 

 pieces. These pieces are my two seed-leaves. There 

 is sweet food packed in them. There is so much of 

 it, that I make good food for man. 



I need food, just as you do. You have to get and 

 cook your food. I do not have to move to get 

 mine. 



My food is used to help the stem, the leaves, and 

 the root of the plant to grow. 



You will see a little white stem and two leaflets 

 on one of my seed-leaves. These little leaflets are 

 darker than my seed-leaves. Don't you think they 

 are a queer color for leaflets ? I wonder if you can 

 tell why they are not green. 



If a bean is put into the ground, the dampness 

 of the earth gets into it. This makes the seed swell 

 and the coat burst. 



