4 RAIN IN THE SOIL.

/

 
 
 
 

ground.

   
 

seeds.

  

| g. reen.
Indian Corn.

The water is
taken into the roots of trees. It rises to the
sleeping buds, and pretty leaflets unfold.

Now the blossoms hang in clouds, and later
they fall like snow. Grain sprouts, grows up
and waves in the fields.

At length the boughs bend low with fruit.
Sheaves of wheat dot the fields, and long
ears of corn ripen in the sun.

All the time the plants are growing, water
in the soil helps to feed them.

Have you ever seen worms crawling out of
the ground ? t

Worms grind leaves, and mix them with
soil. They bring rich earth to the surface,
and make little mounds of it.

x
Sg

 
 
  
 
 
 

 

8.
Rain in the Soil.

When it rains, some

yw water sinks mto the

; It mois-

“tens the soil around

At the right season they sprout
and grow through the soil.

The rain flows among grass roots, and

little blades shoot up, making the fields

  
 
 
 

Apple Blossoms.

Have you ever watched ants building their
hills? Do you know of any place where ants
are at work near your school? Where do
they get fine earth for their hills?

Mounds made by worms and ants are often
dotted over the fields.
Raindrops spread these
mounds, and carry some
of the rich soil down
again to the roots and
seeds.

 

Growing Pumpkins.

9. How Soil Settles.

Mix fine soil in one glass of water, and coarse sand
in another. Let the water stand for a while, and see
what takes place.

Which settles first, the soil or the sand ?

Mix fine loam and coarse sand in a glass of water,
and let it stand. Which settles on the other, the
loam or the sand ?

10. Work of the Brooks.

What is the swift part of a
brook called? Can you tell why?

Below the rapids there is a
small pond. This pond is only a
wide place in the brook. Rain
has been falling, and the brook is
muddy. It has a load of fine soil which
the rills have brought from the slopes.