Plants and their childrenParsons, Frances Theodora
General
Plants and their children
Parsons, Frances Theodora
Botany -- Juvenile literature; Plants -- Juvenile literature
Soon after the yellow dust from the bee fell upon the flat tips of the
pins without dust boxes, the little green objects deep within the green
cup became full of life, and began to get larger. And not only this:
the green cup also seemed to feel this new life; for it too grew bigger
and bigger, and juicier and juicier, until it became the fine juicy
apple we have before us this morning.
So now you understand a little of what happened to make the great apple
take the place of the delicate blossom.
THE APPLE’S TREASURES
If we lift our apple by its stem, it hangs in the same position as when
growing on the tree (Fig. 5).
But the blossom whose place in the world is taken by this apple held
its little head proudly in the air. So let us put the apple in the same
position, and see what is left of the flower from which it has come
(Fig. 6).
[Illustration: FIG. 5]
We see the apple stem, which last May was the flower stem. This has
grown thick and strong enough to hold the apple fast to the tree till
it ripens and is ready to drop.
The upper part of the stem you cannot see, because the apple has
swelled downwards all about it, or upwards we should say, if it were
still on the tree.
[Illustration: FIG. 6]
On the top of the apple, in a little hollow, we see some crumpled
things which look like tiny withered leaves.
You remember that when the bee left the yellow dust in the apple
blossom, the green cup began to grow big and juicy, and to turn into
the apple. And these little crumpled things are all that is left of the
five green leaves into which the upper part of the cup was divided.
These little leaves have been out in all kinds of weather for many
weeks, so no wonder they look rather mussy and forlorn.
It is hard to realize that from the center of this now crumpled bunch
grew the pretty apple blossom.
Now where are those tiny round things that were packed away inside the
green cup?
Well, as that cup is now this apple, the chances are that they are
still hidden safely away within it. So let us take a knife and cut the
apple open.
[Illustration: FIG. 7]
What do you find in its very heart? If you cut it through crosswise,
you find five brown seeds packed as neatly as jewels in their case
(Fig. 7); and if you cut it through lengthwise, you discover only two
or three seeds (Fig. 8).
Probably I need not say to you that these seeds were once the little
round things hidden within the green cup.
[Illustration: FIG. 8]
Some day I will tell you a great deal more about the wonderful golden
dust which turns flowers into apples as easily as Cinderella’s fairy
godmother turned rats into ponies, and pumpkins into coaches.
But all this will come later. Just now I want to talk about something
else.
[Illustration: Grass]
WHAT A PLANT LIVES FOR
When you go for a walk in the country, what do you see all about you?
“Cows and horses, and chickens and birds, and trees and flowers,”
answers some child.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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