winter study of seeds, the different forms of seed recep- 

 tacles will be an interesting study. Perhaps the one that 

 will seem the most curious to you is the balsam or ''touch- 

 me-not." When the balsam seed pods ripen, gather some 

 and see if you can find out why they have been given the 

 name ''touch-me-not." The action of the balsam seed 

 pods may start many a talk on the manner in which dif- 

 ferent seeds are expelled from their covering. The seeds 

 of some kinds of plants are thrown two or three feet from 

 the plant. The word dehiscence is used to describe the 

 opening of the pod for the escape of the seed. Examine 

 the fully ripened pods of many different plants to see the 

 manner in which their seed is freed from its receptacle. 



Some plants are said to sleep. Have you ever seen 

 one asleep? Does it mean what it does when we say an 

 animal sleeps? Ask your teacher to accompany the pu- 

 pils to the school garden some night. You will then see 

 that some of your flowers doze at night, while others take 

 that time to open. California poppies always doze at 

 night, while moon flowers never open until the sunshine 

 has gone. What do you know about the plant which is 

 called the four o'olock? Just what it is that causes this 

 strange action of some of the plants has never been set- 

 tled by botanists. 



While making records of the leaf shapes, textures, 

 etc., do not fail to handle the leaves of the different plants 

 in your garden. Some will be velvety smooth, others 

 rough and disagreeable. One of the old-fashioned flower- 

 ing plants in your garden has clammy, sticky-feeling 

 leaves. Which is it? You will probably have to keep 

 this question in mind until later in the season. But do 

 not forget to find out which plant it is. 



The peculiar shape of the calyx of the nasturtium will 



