48 NEW ZEALAND NATURE-STUDY BOOK 
“The spherical or round root of the turnip; the cone. 
shaped root of the carrot; the long whip-like tap-root of 
the parsnip; the spindle-shaped root of the radish; the 
fibrous root of the wheat.” 
Noter.—In this Chapter ‘‘ storage of food” is placed before the 
‘summary of lessons on roots.” It does not follow from this that 
the former should precede the latter in the order of teaching. 
Simple lessons on roots might well be givenin the Infant Depart- 
ment, where pupils could be taught to describe the colour, form, 
and general appearance of roots, and be led to realise how necessary 
it is that plants be held firmly in the ground with their stems 
vertical and leaves spread out to the air and sunshine. The 
storage of food should not be dealt with until the pupils have 
been led to see that under certain conditions a reserve of food is 
necessary. ‘To talk to Infants about plants storing up food for 
future use would be mere waste of time, for they would not be 
sufficiently far advanced with the subject to understand what a 
food-supply meant, and why it was at any time necessary. In 
S. II. or 8. IL., where storage of food would probably be taken, the _ 
lessons might with advantage lead to a general summary on the 
functions of roots. 
XIJ.—THE STEM. 
We have seen how important to the plant are its leaves 
and roots; the former absorbing carbon-dioxide from the 
air and manufacturing plant food ; and the latter obtaining 
from the ground the salt solutions from which the plant 
draws its supply of mineral matter. The whole of the 
food absorbed by the plant must find its way to the leaves, 
and the leaves themselves must be spread out to the air 
and sunshine, hence the necessity of the stem and branches. 
The duties of these members are (1) to bear leaves and 
spread them out; (2) to supply the leaves with the water 
and mineral substances taken in by the root, and necessary 
