HOW SEEDS TRAVEL 
“Uncle Jack, look at that cow,” called Fred, as he 
pointed to one standing in the brush. “The end of her 
tail looks like a ball.” 
“She has been walking through a patch of cocklebur 
plants,” replied Uncle Jack. “Some of the burs caught 
hold of her tail, and now they are taking a ride.” 
“How can they hold on to her tail?” asked Bess. 
“Some seeds have a shell around them, and on the out¬ 
side of that shell are many stickers or spines. These 
shells are called burs,” explained Uncle Jack. “Each 
spine of the cocklebur has a hook at the end. The hooks 
catch in the long hair of animals, and the burs get a 
free ride.” 
“Why do they want to go for a ride?” asked Buddy. 
“Plants make a great many seeds,” Uncle Jack replied. 
“If all of those seeds dropped on the ground near the 
mother plants, the young plants would be so close to¬ 
gether that there would not be enough food in the soil 
for them to eat. They would soon die. So some of the 
seeds must find other places to grow. They cannot walk; 
they have to travel some other way. They might get into 
the hair of a dog, a horse, a sheep, or a wolf. They might 
even catch on your trousers, Buddy, if you happened to 
touch some of them.” 
169 
