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STEMS 
the stolon ceases to carry nourishment from the parent 
plant and soon dies. Black raspberries produce long, 
drooping stems which have buds on the ends similar to those 
on the stolons of strawberries. New plants are formed 
when these rest on the earth, several sometimes arising from 
the branching end of a parent plant, from which it later 
becomes separated. 
A large garden lily has a method of propagating itself 
that is not common, namely by bulblike growths produced 
in the axils of the leaves. 
Canada thistles, quack grass, and devil’s paint-brush are 
among the most difficult of weeds to eradicate owing to their 
branching, underground stems, each piece of which, when 
broken off by cultivation, forming a new plant. Dandelions, 
because of their greatly reduced stems, are not easily killed 
by trampling. In digging dandelions from lawns, care 
must be taken to cut deeply enough to remove the whole 
crown of the plant, otherwise the injured stem branches 
and forms a weed more troublesome than the original one. 
SUMMARY 
The stem is the part of the plant which forms the connec¬ 
tion between the roots which gather food materials and the 
leaves, where food is manufactured. It is compact and 
sturdy because it must bear the weight of the leaves- and 
branches, and because the vessels through which liquids 
are conducted in it must be well protected. Most stems 
grow above ground and upright, but some lie on the surface 
of the ground, and some below the soil. The stem of the 
woody plants is employed by man in more ways than any 
other part, furnishing him shelter, fuel, furniture, clothing, 
paper, parts of many machines and implements on which 
he is daily dependent. Stems are a source of some food 
for man and the stems of the grasses furnish food for 
many animals. 
