When once you have become acquainted with the secret of dandelion and daisy and aster and robin’s plantain, you will find it quite easy to discover their little separate flowers. All these plants have large, plain flower heads that you cannot mistake. [Illustration: FIG. 270] But with some members of this great Composite family you are going to have more trouble, unless you take your time and keep your wits about you. [Illustration: FIG. 271] Just when the asters begin to border the roadsides in the month of August, the golden-rod (Fig. 270) hangs out its bright yellow flowers. This golden-rod is one of the plants which you may find a little troublesome; for its little flowers are so tiny, that even when a number of them are fastened together in a bunch, the whole bunch looks like a very small blossom (Fig. 271). [Illustration: FIG. 272] In each of these little bunches or heads (for when a number of flowers are packed together in this way, we call the whole bunch a “head”) there are a few of the strap flowers (Fig. 272) on the outside, and a few tube flowers (Fig. 273) in the center; but the outer strap flowers are so small that you can hardly believe they are really flowers, and the tube flowers look hardly larger than ordinary stamens. To see them at all clearly, you must use a good magnifying glass. [Illustration: FIG. 273] And you must search very patiently for the tiny bunch (Fig. 271) which is the head of the golden-rod. Next you must pick to pieces this little head, separating the outer from the inner flowers. In hunting for a single head in this great yellow flower cluster, you must look for the little cup-like arrangement, the tiny greenish or yellowish leaves; for each head is held in one of these small cups. Although the golden-rod is one of the most difficult of all the flowers to understand, once you have seen for yourselves how each little head is held in its tiny cup, you will find it easy enough to pick out its single flowers, and then you will have mastered the secret of the golden-rod. [Illustration: Flowers] THE LAST OF THE FLOWERS We found, you remember, that the dandelion head was made up entirely of strap flowers; and we saw that the daisy and aster and golden-rod were made up partly of strap flowers, and partly of tube flowers. And here you have a great thistle head (Fig. 274). If you should pull it to pieces, you would find only tube flowers. The Composite family always makes up its head in one of these three ways, using either nothing but strap flowers, or nothing but tube flowers, or else using tube flowers for the center of the head, and strap flowers for the outside. [Illustration: FIG. 274] Now, I hope you will remember these three ways in which this important family puts together its little flowers.