CHAPTER XVII

NAMES OF PARTS OF FLOWERS

THE children worked in the garden early and late for days, and if the grown-ups in the big house suspected they were gardening, they did not hint that they thought of such a thing.

Billy spaded, and Mary Frances planted, and Feather Flop looked on from a distance whenever Billy was anywhere to be seen.

One day, Mary Frances met him as she came to the compost heap, where she was going to throw some weeds and grass cuttings.

“Why, Feather Flop,” she exclaimed, “I haven’t seen you for ever-so-long! Where have you been?”

“I’ve been—I’ve been—watching,” said Feather Flop, “and when I’ve thought I dared, I’ve weeded your garden; yes, I have. Haven’t you noticed how few weeds there were?” he asked anxiously.

“I have, Feather Flop, indeed I have; only the other day I said to Billy, ‘I almost could imagine someone had been “cultivating” the garden this morning.’”

“That was the morning I got up before daylight, and went out there and scratched, and scratched, where I felt _sure_ I would not disturb anything which ought not to be disturbed,” said Feather Flop, delighted.

“My,” said Mary Frances, “how perfectly dear of you, Feather Flop; I can’t begin to tell you the wonderful fairy-story-feeling I have, to know that all the time that Billy and I are studying and working, you are so interested and kind, so anxious to help me!”

“Oh, yes, dear Miss,” sighed the happy rooster; “but I certainly do wish I could do more and be with you oftener.”

“Never mind, Feather Flop,” said the little girl. “Some day when Billy goes to town, we’ll spend the whole day together.”

“Good!” cried Feather Flop, delighted. “Good! and now, please let me show you where I found so many cutworms.”

Mary Frances and he walked over to the garden.

“Right there,” explained Feather Flop, going toward the tomato plants and pointing with his wing: “right down there. About twenty, I guess there were, and I had some difficulty——”

“Get out of that garden, will you, Feather Flop!” roared Billy, coming with a stick. “Say, Mary Frances, why don’t you chase that old good-for-nothing rooster off? If he doesn’t look out——”

“Oh, Billy,” cried Mary Frances. “Oh, Billy, you ought—he was—he has eaten a lot of cutworms. I know he has! You don’t understand!”

“I don’t understand! Well, I guess I don’t! Get out of here, you old busybody of a rooster!” said Billy.

Mary Frances felt so sorry about the rooster she couldn’t have helped crying, and out came her handkerchief.

“Oh, Billy,” she sobbed, “he’s so interested—in the—garden.”

“I should say he is!” said Billy. “I should say so! But whatever can be the matter with _you_, gets me! For pity’s sake, dry up those tears. I was going to give you the next lesson.”

At that Mary Frances dried her eyes.

“Oh, were you, Billy—will you?” She was delighted.

“Yes,” said Billy, “if you’ll stop weeping. The next lesson is a real one in Botany, or the study of flowers and plants; and since I’ve found these few buttercups, which I pressed in my collection of dried flowers, if you wish, I shall begin—

GARDEN LESSON No. 5

NAMES OF PARTS OF FLOWERS

Not all flowers have every part. The buttercup (or better, the single geranium) is an excellent flower to study to show the various parts.

To learn the name of each part, our teacher told us—

THE STORY OF LITTLE BUTTERCUP

Little Buttercup has on a yellow collar.

Her collar is called a ~cô-rŏl-lá~.

Her corolla collar is made of five scallops; each scallop is called a ~pĕt´-al~.

The petal scallops of Little Buttercup’s collar corolla are held in place about her neck in a little green cup-shaped holder.

This holder is called a ~cā’-lŷx~, or cup.

The calyx cup has five pointed scallops.

Each scallop is called a ~sĕp´-ăl~.

Little Buttercup wears not only a beautiful yellow collar corolla made of shiny yellow petals, held in place by the green sepals of the calyx cup, but she has a lovely necklace of fringe close about her neck.

Each thread of fringe is a stā´-men.

Each stamen is made of a thread called a ~fĭl´-ă-mĕnt~, and on the end of each filament dangles a little bead, called an ~ăn´-thẽr~.

Proud little Buttercup not only wears all of these beautiful things, but she uses powder!

On each anther bead Little Buttercup carries some yellow powder.

This powder is called ~pŏl´-len~.

She must be very proud when she gets all dressed up in the lovely Spring days in her best finery—a shiny corolla collar, made of yellow petals, held in a calyx cup, made of green sepals, and a stamen fringe necklace, powdered with pollen!

Oh, yes, she wears a lovely dress of green lacey leaves. The leaf is made strong, just as children are, by a bone, a leaf-bone or a ~mid-rib~.

All other flowers dress in a similar way, but not every flower has as many beautiful things to wear as has little Buttercup.

When you see flowers after this, look for the lovely corolla, calyx, stamens, and other parts of the flower, which you have learned to know through Little Buttercup.

There is another part to a buttercup, called the ~pis-til~, but I shall tell you about that part of flowers in the next lesson, in just the way our teacher told us.

“Oh,” cried Mary Frances, as Billy finished, “What a delightful lesson! Never again will buttercups seem the same. Although I always loved them, they will be so much more interesting after this.”