Chambers's Elementary Science Readers Part 20

b.u.t.tercups have-- Five yellow leaves.

Five green ones.

b.u.t.tercups are-- Pretty and s.h.i.+ny.

Eaten by cattle.

WHEAT. [_Page 20._

1. Wheat is a plant of the _gra.s.s_ kind, but grows higher than common gra.s.s. It is grown from seed, which is grains of wheat kept until hard and dry.

2. Ruts are made in the soil by a plough, and into these the seed is cast. Then the soil is covered over them by a harrow, drawn by a horse.

3. Rain and warm suns.h.i.+ne help the grains to grow. They grow into tall, jointed stems, and soon the ears of wheat appear. They are green at first, but the sun ripens them and turns them yellow.

4. Then the wheat is cut, and the new grains are threshed out from the husks which are called chaff. The tall stems make straw. The grains are ground into flour by the miller. We use flour for making bread, cakes, and puddings.

_Write and learn:_

Wheat is-- A gra.s.s plant.

Grown from seed.

Green at first.

Yellow when ripe.

Wheat has-- A tall stem.

Graceful leaves.

An ear.

Grains.

Wheat makes-- Flour.

Foods.

Chaff.

Straw.

SLATE. [_Page 26._

1. Slate is a kind of stone. Rocks, and even mountains, are sometimes made of slate. The great hole made in the rocks by getting it out, is called a quarry. It is got out in very large blocks. Sometimes gunpowder is used to crack the rocks before the blocks can be got out.

2. Slate is very hard and brittle. It is used for many purposes. Houses are roofed with slates. Sometimes it is used for pavements. It can be made so smooth that we use it for writing upon. Slate-pencil is made from soft slate-stone.

_Write and learn:_

Slate is-- A kind of stone.

Very hard.

Brittle.

Slate is found in-- c.u.mberland.

Wales.

Cornwall and Devon.

Slate is useful for-- Roofing houses.

Making pavements.

Writing upon.

CHALK. [_Page 31._

1. Like slate, chalk comes out of the hills. It is white and soft. It is used for many purposes. The farmer puts it on the fields sometimes, to make the soil better. It holds water and keeps the soil moist.

2. We get lime and whiting from chalk. We use it in these forms for making our ceilings and walls clean. It is used, too, for writing on the blackboard. Chalk is found in many parts of England. Kent and Hamps.h.i.+re have most. Chalk-pits are often seen in the hills.

3. Chalk is formed of thousands of tiny sh.e.l.ls.

_Write and learn:_

Chalk is-- White.

Soft.

Crumbly.

Chalk is found in-- Hamps.h.i.+re.

Kent.

Isle of Wight.

Chalk makes-- Lime.

Whiting.

Chalk-pencils.

THE MOUSE. [_Page 36._

1. The mouse is a very small animal, with pointed nose and long tail. It has large bright eyes, large ears, strong sharp teeth, and is very timid.

2. The mouse gnaws through the walls and floors of our houses with its sharp, strong teeth. It makes a little nest in a hole. It comes out when all is quiet to look for crumbs, or anything left about that it can eat.

It gets into the pantry sometimes.

3. Some mice live in fields and woods. The tiny harvest-mouse makes its nest on a wheat-stalk. It often does great harm to the wheat.