54 
MANUAL OF NATURE STUDY. 
when the seed is planted, the sun helps the little 
plantlet in the seed to change the starch back again 
to sugar, in which form it readily becomes soluble 
in water and hence food for the baby plant. What 
are our baby plants, radish, onion and lettuce that 
we planted a week or two ago now doing ? 
To show the influence of the sun in this boarding 
house, or in the formation of “leaf green,” place 
a plant in a dark place for a few days. What effect 
upon the color ? Upon growth ? Do all the help¬ 
ers in the seed factory get fed as well as when the 
plant was in the light ? How can you tell ? What 
change takes place in the growth of tree or plant 
after the leaves have fallen in autumn, or in ex¬ 
tremely dry weather? When caterpillars have 
eaten all the lungs and stomach of a plant, what 
change do you observe in the growth of the plant ? 
What change in growth of seeds ? Why ? Why 
should the onion beds, radish beds, and lettuce 
beds be kept clean from weeds and insects ? Why 
do gardners “thin out” their vegetables ? When 
are they too thick ? Point out the leaf, stem and 
root of the radish, onion and lettuce as you did the 
other plants. Compare market values of these 
plants. 
B . —Animal Life. 
1. Lessons on Snake , Fish, Frog , etc ,—Collect a 
garter snake, a frog and a fish, keep them alive in 
