262 
STEMS 
Bud 
its varieties. Some parts of houses can be' made from stone, 
brick, or other materials, but for the inside finishing we are 
still dependent upon wood. 
A third use is for furniture. No other material has been 
found that is so satisfactory as wood for tables and chairs. 
A fourth use is for clothing. The flax plant which furnishes 
the material from which linen is made is one of the most 
valuable. Its usefulness depends upon the bast fibers which 
it contains. These are found 
in the outer part of the slender 
stem and serve to give it stiff¬ 
ness. When separated from 
the other parts of the stem 
they can be twisted, spun, 
and woven. 
A fifth use is for cordage. 
This includes all kinds of 
ropes and many kinds of 
"strings. Some cordage’is ob¬ 
tained from fibers of hemp, 
and some from other plants. 
Among the many other 
uses of stems in our daily life 
may be mentioned poles for 
telegraph, telephone, and 
electric light wires, for the 
masts of ships, for the piles 
of piers, timbers for props of mines, lumber for bridge 
foundations, cross-ties of railroads, besides parts of imple¬ 
ments and tools of daily use, vehicles and parts of ma¬ 
chines by which many of these are made. Add to these 
the boxes, barrels, crates, trunks, pails, baskets, and other 
common articles which we use frequently, and paper in its 
many forms and numerous uses. It is evident from this 
list, which is far from complete, that man has found the 
Lenticels 
Attachment to 
AeFiai Stem 
Figure 250. — Potato, Sometimes 
Called a Tuber. 
A form of underground stem used for 
storing food. 
