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THE FRUIT 
the end of a branch, on the inside of which are produced the 
real fruits commonly known as seeds. 
HOME WORK 
What articles of food on your breakfast table were fruits ? Where 
were they raised? How were they brought to your home? What 
kinds of food were furnished by each? Look up the population of 
China, India, and Japan for the year 1915 or later. Most of these 
people live chiefly on rice. How does that compare with the number 
in the northern countries of Europe and the United States who live 
largely on the other cereals ? 
SUMMARY 
Reproduction is the ultimate object of the plant’s life, 
because it is the vital process which produces the seeds by 
which the plant is enabled to insure a new generation. 
The fruit serves to protect the seeds while they are growing, 
and to secure their distribution when they are ripe. The 
fruit of many plants is the part most useful to man, furnishing 
him the necessaries in the way of food, and many of the 
luxuries. Man has been able in some cases to improve the 
quantity and the quality of fruits for his own use. 
QUESTIONS 
What is a fruit? What is its function? Name the different kinds 
of fruits and give an example of each. 
REFERENCES 
Bessey, College Botany, pages 288-291. 
Bergen, Foundations of Botany, pages 217-227. 
Coulter, Plant Life and Plant Uses, pages 62; 325-335, 353-356. 
Abbott, General Biology, page 278. 
Bessey, College Botany, pages 324-326. 
Snyder, General Science, page 205. 
Bergen and Caldwell, Practical Botany, pages 146-148; 151-155. 
Gibson, Sharp Eyes, pages 4, 5; 150-155; 170-174; 205, 206. 
