THE WORK OP STEMS 99 



prostrate stems creep, turn and twist to reach the beams 

 of light, which filter through between the blades. When 

 we remember the troubles we have had in hoeing these 

 weeds from our gardens or fields, we conclude that pros- 

 trate stems may get along very well in competition with 

 other kinds. 



74. Climbing Stems. — Such plants as the morning 

 glory, the grape, and the five-leaved ivy, or Virginia 

 creeper, twine their stems around any support they can 

 find and thus raise their leaves up to the light. Plants 

 with this class of stems are excellent for covering over 

 trellises, arbors and fences which may screen buildings 

 and unsightly places. When some of these plants, such 

 as the wild morning glory and the black bindweed, grow 

 among our field crops, they become serious pests. Their 

 roots take from the soil, moisture and plant food needed 

 by the growing crop, and they interfere with the harvest- 

 ing of the crop as well. Moreover, their stems twine 

 about the stems of the corn and other plants, which 

 makes them extremely hard to destroy. 



75. Erect Stems. — The great majority of plants have 

 this kind of stem. They may be short or long, depending 

 upon the environment in which they grow. On the plains 

 the grasses and prairie flowers have short stems, but they 

 are mostly erect. In the forest, the trees form stems of 

 remarkable length and strength, and because of this, 

 yield us our supply of lumber. Most of our cultivated 

 crops have erect stems. For this reason, we are able to 

 cultivate the ground close around them; the binder and 

 header can be used to harvest them; the mower can be 

 used to cut them down ; and the stems themselves in ad- 

 dition to the leaves often make excellent forage. Those 



