roots. The nasturtium climbs by means of its leaf stems.

Other stems get up into the light and air with their leaves by twining
about upright objects. For example, the morning glory and pole bean.

Some stems will be found that spread their leaves out to the sun by
creeping over the ground. Sweet potato, melon, squash, and cucumber
vines are examples of such plants.

One use of the stems of plants then is to support the leaves, flowers
and fruit, and expose them to the much needed light and air.

=Experiment.=--Get a piece of grape vine and cut it into pieces four
or five inches long; notice that the cut surface appears to be full of
little holes. Cut a piece from between joints, place one end in your
mouth and blow hard. It will be found that air can be blown through
the piece of vine. Now pour about an inch of water in a tumbler or cup
and color it with a few drops of red ink. Then stand some of the
pieces of grape vine in the colored water. In a few hours the colored
water will appear at the upper ends of the sticks. Capillary force has
caused the colored water to rise through the small tubes in the vine.
Repeat this experiment with twigs of several kinds of trees and soft
green plants, as elm, maple, sunflower, corn, etc. It will not be
possible to blow through these twigs, but the red water will rise
through them by osmose, and in a few hours will appear at the upper
ends. If some leaves are left on the stems the colored water will
appear in them. Some white flowers can be colored in this way.

In this manner the stem carries plant food dissolved in water from the
roots to the leaves, and after the leaves have digested it carries it