HOW PLANTS HAVE BEEN IMPROVED BY MAN 155 



(2) Get a strawberry plant from a strong rnnner. Plant in a 

 bed where there is good soil and plenty of room on all sides. Note 

 at end of one year or two years how many new plants have grown 

 from runners. 



(3) Grow buffalo or couch-grass from "joints." 



(4) Grow two bulbs ; one a scaly bulb (say the onion) ; the 

 other a solid bulb (say the gladiolus). Note the different 

 methods of bulb-multiplication._ 



(5) If one of the green branches of a potato be covered with 

 earth, it often forms a potato tuber. What does this prove ? 



(6) Two ways of potato planting . (a) Since each eye is a bud, 

 cut up the tuber, and plant as many seeds as there are eyes : 

 (b) Plant a whole tuber with only a single bud — a strong one, left. 

 Which is likely to be the better plan ? Remember that the starch 

 stored in the tuber is to give the young plant a start. 



(7) Chop up a dock-weed root into bits and plant them._ Note 

 how many make new plants. Try similar experiments with 

 sorrel-weed (sour grass). 



Note. — This -will show why it is that plough and harrow do not destroy 

 docks and sorrel weeds, but rather multiply them. 



(8) Remove all the leaves of a dandelion and see whether it can 

 shoot afresh. 



(9) How do the following plants nmltiply without seed ? : Com- 

 mon sorrel weed, peppermint, Danubian reed (bamboo), violet, 

 verbena. 



Composition Exercise : Tell how man learned to be a 

 gardener. 



Drawing Exercise : Show by a sketch how a strawberry- plant 

 runs out to make new plants. 



XXVI. HOW PLANTS HAVE BEEN IMPKOVED 

 BY MAN. 



1. We have seen how man can bring the wild plants 

 of all lands into his garden ; and now we are to 

 see how he can improve them. Man can make a poor 



