THE COMMON BLUE VIOLET 155 



tiny holes air goes into the leaf and mixes with 

 the food from the roots before that is fit for the 

 plant to eat. When the food is all ready what 

 becomes of it? (Some of it goes to all parts, of 

 the leaf, some to the roots, and some to the pretty 

 blue blossoms.) 



You said that there were no leaves in the winter. 

 When did these leaves come ? How could they grow 

 when there were no leaves in which to prepare the 

 food for them? (Last autumn, before Jack Frost 

 killed the working leaves, this " large root," as you 

 call it, packed up enough prepared food to feed the 

 roots and leaves this spring, until they got well 

 started at their work and could feed themselves.) 



Let us look at this trunk in which the food was 

 packed last autumn. Why do you call it a root ? (It 

 looks like one. It grows underground.) What do 

 we find growing from it here? (Leaves.) [The 

 teacher should have a number of different plants 

 in the class.] From what do the leaves on this 

 plant grow? (Astern.) On this? (Astern.) What 

 do we call this part from which the leaves and 

 flowers grow ? (A stem.) What shall we call this, 

 then, from which the violet's leaves and flowers 

 grow (pointing to the root-stock) ? (A stem.) Since 



