TUMBLEWEEDS. 
Tumbleweeds are funny ! They clo not fly in the 
air, but they go scurrying over the surface of the earth. 
They grow on the Western plains 
and in other places, and some- 
times get to be as large as a 
bushel basket. 
They are not very interesting 
until they begin to tumble. This 
happens in the fall of the year. 
The plants grow like ordinary little bushes in the 
summer and bear a great many clusters of small flowers. 
Late in the season the leaves fall off, and the stems of 
the plant curl over and make a ball of it. The seeds 
do not fall yet ; they can be seen in pretty brown clus- 
ters inside the ball. 
Along comes a gust of wind ; the tumbleweed, all 
rolled up and quite dry now, breaks loose from the earth 
and away it goes, head over heels, rolling like a wild 
thing across the prairies. 
It is very funny to see a prairie full of tumbleweeds 
racing along. They look as if they were playing tag. 
When a train passes, those near the track are caught 
in the draught and off they start, head over heels, as 
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