84 



was taken. The seeds of plants are very different ac- 

 cording to the numerous varieties which produce them. 

 Those of the maple are good examples of those which 

 are borne by the wind to various places: these have 

 long thin arms or wings attached to them. 



The study of seeds by themselves would be interest- 

 ing as there are some which are very curious in form 

 and color. Shoots frequently occur in trees especially, 

 when all around the base of the old one little ones 

 come up from the roots in great abundance. The 

 lilac, shrub and althea are good examples of tliis class . 

 Runners are very common ; we can find an abundance 

 of these in a strawberry bed, where, if they are not 

 carefully cleaned out, they become so numerous as to 

 form a thick tangled mass. The runner proceeds from 

 some plant, and after running a little way takes root 

 and forms a young plant. But it does not stop here, 

 it begins again and would continue to do so if left un- 

 disturbed. The stolon is a branch which bends over 

 and touching the ground takes root thus forming a 

 new plant. The garden currant and Banyan tree are 

 good examples of this class, the gardner can in this 

 way multiply his shrubbery with more certainty than 

 by seed planting. When a branch is bent over and 

 has taken root the leaves on it serve as a beginning 

 and it may be cut off and considered as an independant 

 plant. 



The climbing plants are worthy of study also: take a 

 gi'ape vine for instance, notice its twining tendrils: 

 reaching out from a branch thej^ grow until they en- 

 counter some object when the main tendril curls itself 

 up thus drawing the branches closer to the grasped 



