72 



NATURE STUDY MADE EASY 



"What an interesting story !" said Florence. "May I take 

 your peach in with me now, that I may tell mamma all about 

 you?" So saying, Florence caught the mellow peach in her soft 

 little hands, and carried it in to her mother. 



LESSON XXIV 



LIFE HISTORY OF A PLUM 



The plum is a juicy, luscious fruit. Have 

 you ever tasted one? Some plums are green, 

 some are purple, some are red. But the juicy, 

 delicious fruit which we enjoy is only a case or 

 protection for the true seed. That is hidden in 

 FLOWER OF PLUM a h arc [ stone most difficult to crack. This kind 



of fruit is called a drupe. 



Plums grow on trees, like the 



apple and peach. They blossom 



in the spring, grow all summer, 



and are ripe in the fall. Some we 



gather and eat. Some drop to the 



ground and rot. Some are eaten 



by insects, but in each case the most precious part the stone 



finds its way back to the ground. It contains the seed, which 



is the baby plum plant. There on the ground it softens, bursts, 



and in time the seed begins to grow. 



A PLUM AND ITS SEED 



