SOME LESSONS IN BOTANY 69 
There are several other kinds of flower clusters, but these few 
types with slight variations embrace the blossoms of the large 
majority of our common plants, and will therefore be suf- 
ficient for our present purpose. 
PROJECTS 
1. Drawings of leaves. — Make drawings of the leaves of the familiar 
plants about you. Show carefully the general outline, the exact form 
of the margin, and the arrangement of the ribs and veins. If the leaf 
is compound, be sure to draw the whole leaf and not merely one of the 
leaflets. Write the name under each, as “Box elder leaf,” “Pansy leaf.’ 
This exercise will help to fix in mind the form of the leaves of various 
plants, and thus to know one from the other. 
2. Drawings of trees. — Make drawings showing the general outline 
of some fine trees that you know, as elm, linden, spruce. To represent 
the mass effect of the foliage it is well to use brush and ink, or crayons. 
3. Structure of the flower. — Examine a variety of common flowers, 
as they come into bloom during the summer, and 
(a) Identify the four parts, — calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil. 
If any of them are absent, note the fact. If only one of the essential 
organs is present, try to find specimens with the other one. 
(6) Describe each part in detail: 
Calyx. —If there are separate sepals, give their number and form; 
if the calyx is in one piece, what is its form? Is the rim or border 
notched? Describe. 
Corolla. — What isits color? Is it attached directly to the receptacle, 
or to the calyx? If it is in one piece, what is its shape? If the petals 
are separate, how many are there and what is their form? 
Stamens. — Attached where, their number, and length. 
Pistil. —_Number; form of ovary, style, and stigma; what sort of 
fruit does the pistil develop into? 
4. The strawberry. — There are some varieties of strawberries that 
are very desirable, but their flowers bear only pistils and no stamens. 
If these are planted alone, the fruit will not develop. If we select one of 
these varieties, we must intersperse among the plants in the bed some 
variety with perfect flowers that open at the same time and thus furnish 
