Chambers's Elementary Science Readers Part 23

2. Turnips are good for food. Sheep and cattle are fond of them. Animals eat them raw. We boil them. Raw turnips are not good for us. Pigs will eat the rinds which we peel off.

3. Turnips are white or yellow, sweet, juicy, wholesome.

_Write and learn:_

Turnips are-- White or yellow.

Sweet.

Wholesome.

Turnips have-- Roots.

Green tops.

Thick rinds.

Turnips are eaten-- By man.

By animals.

Mostly in winter.

GREEN PEAS. [_Page 62._

1. The pea is a climbing plant. We put tall sticks in the garden for the peas to climb. They grow from seeds which are dried peas.

2. As they grow, tendrils shoot out and take hold of the sticks. Pretty green leaves grow too. Then come the dainty white flowers.

3. When the flowers wither, they leave little green pods. Inside the pods are little green peas. Peas and pods grow larger each day until ripe.

4. Peas are very good for food. Pigs like the husks.

_Write and learn:_

Peas have-- Roots.

Tendrils.

Flowers.

Peas-- Climb.

Grow from seed.

Hold by tendrils.

Peas grow-- In gardens.

In fields.

In summer.

IRON AND METAL. [_Page 67._

1. Metals are made from ores which are dug out of the earth. These ores are found in many parts of the world. Iron is the most common, as well as the most useful metal.

2. Many things we use are made of it. The _steel_ of which our knives, tools, and other things are made, is made from iron. Iron is largely used for making bridges, railings, fire-grates, hammers.

3. Lead, copper, tin, and zinc are metals also. So are silver and gold.

4. Men must dig deep down into the earth to find them. The holes and pa.s.sages which they make are called mines.

5. All metals are heavy. All will melt in great heat, and all can be hammered out into thin sheets or drawn out into wire.

_Write and learn:_

Metals are-- Heavy.

Useful.

Plentiful.

Metals can be-- Melted.

Hammered out.

Polished.

The common metals are-- Iron.

Lead.

Tin and copper.

NEEDLES. [_Page 71._

1. Needles are made of steel wire. In a needle-factory there are hundreds of coils of wire. Some of the wire is thick enough for darning-needles; some very thin for making sewing-needles.

2. The wire is cut by a machine. The needles are pointed on a grindstone. The eyes are punched by another machine. Then the needles are filed to make them smooth.

3. To make them hard, the needles are made white-hot, and put into cold water until quite cool. They are then cleaned and polished.

4. They must be very dry before put into packets, or they will rust.

5. Many boys and girls, as well as men and women, work in needle-factories.

_Write and learn:_

Needles are-- Smooth.

Bright.

Pointed.

Needles have-- Eyes.

Shanks.