 
1. There was a very little field at the bottom of the garden, and father made up his mind to grow wheat in it. 2. A friend kindly lent him a horse and plough, and the soil was quickly turned over. A few days afterwards the seed was sown. 3. The children helped to do this. They got up very early one morning and went out with their father. Harry had a bag full of wheat, and Dora had a little basket. 4. They watched what their father did, then dipped their hands into the wheat, and threw it out over the earth. 5. After that, the horse came again with a harrow, to cover the seed over with soil, and it was left to grow. 6. It seemed strange to think that those little hard grains would grow up to be tall plants and have other grains upon them. 7. 'I hope we shall have some nice soft rain,' said father, as they left the field. 8. Many days went by, rain came again and again. There was sunshine, too; but sometimes the east winds blew. 9. Dora and Harry went out every morning to look at the field. But they always came in saying that there was nothing but brown earth to be seen. 10. At last, one morning they came in running and jumping. 'Our wheat is up! There are tiny green leaves all over the field!' 11. After this there was always something fresh to see. The wheat-plants grew taller, and put out long leaves. 12. Dora said one day that they looked like grass, and her mother told her that wheat was a large kind of grass. 'Look at the shape of the leaves,' she said, 'and the joints in the stems.' 13. The wheat soon grew so tall that it stood above the heads of the children. They used to go in among it, and make believe that they were lost in a great forest. 14. One day, when they were lost like this, they saw that the tops of the stalks had opened. Inside there were green stems with green ears upon them. |
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