"Do these little baskets hold anything, Dr. Sandford?"
"Yes. Baskets are always made to hold something."
"What do they hold?"
"They hold what are called _spores;_ that is, little bits of
things which, whenever they get a chance, begin to grow and
make new plants."
"Seeds?" said Daisy.
"They answer the purpose of seeds."
"How do they get out of the basket? Do the winds blow them
out."
"Or the rain washes them out. If they lie long enough in the
basket, they will take root there, and then there is a new
plant seen growing out of the old one."
"How wonderful it is!" said Daisy.
"There is another wonder about it. It does not matter which
way these little spores lie on the ground or in the basket;
but the side that happens to be exposed to the light, after a
time, prepares itself to expand into the surface of a frond,
while the dark side sends down a tiny root."
"And it does not matter which side lies uppermost?"
"No, not in the beginning."
"What is a _frond_, Dr. Sandford?"
"This sort of seed-bearing leaf is called so."
"How pretty it is!" said Daisy. "What are these little things
like umbrellas?"
"These carry the real seed vessels of the plant.
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