22 NATURE STUDY MADE EASY 



LANGUAGE LESSON 



1. Tell the story of how the geranium seed grew. 



2. What is the use of the feather plume ? 



3. What is the use of the bristles on the seed case ? 



4. Are geraniums often raised from seed ? 



5. Why are geraniums raised from slips? 



LESSON VIII 



ROOTS 



Who has not admired and loved a rugged old oak that has 

 braved the storms of many winters? I often think it must have 

 been a sturdy old oak tree that the poet pleaded for, when he wrote 

 the song, "Woodman, spare that tree." What is it that has helped 

 the brave old oak to live through wind and storm? Is it not its 

 great strong roots that have grown and strengthened from the 

 day they broke through the acorn seed ? Yes, the root is the most 

 important part of the plant. 



First, it holds the plant firmly in the ground. The wider the 

 branches of a plant spread above, the farther the roots spread 

 below the ground. The roots enable the plant to stand the shocks 

 of storms and winds. 



Second, it carries food to the plant. A plant cannot move 

 about like an animal to search for food. Its food must be brought 

 to it. Who brings it? The root. All day and all night long the 

 little rootlets are busy pushing their tiny ends through the soil, 



