5 ° 
THE GARDEN OF THE WORLD 
not dissolve in water so it will keep a long time. 
We often eat the starch that a plant has stored 
away. We do this when we eat potatoes, corn, 
and many other foods. Different plants store 
their winter food in different places. The trees 
store theirs in the roots and trunk. Potatoes 
are special storage rooms attached to the roots 
of the potato plant. Corn and wheat store their 
starch in the seeds because they are plants that 
live only one year, and the seed needs, some food 
to start on in the spring. 
The leaf factory can only work in the sun¬ 
shine. That is why house plants should be near 
a window and why grass will not grow under 
a big tree which cuts off the light. Because 
light is needed this process of food making is 
called photosynthesis (pronounced fo'to-sin'- 
the-sis). Photo means light. It is the same 
Greek word that is found in photograph. 
Synthesis means “putting together.” The whole 
word means “putting together by means of 
light.” That is just what the leaf does. It puts 
water and carbon dioxide together when the 
sun is shining. 
Leaves are 
factories word¬ 
ing in the sun 
