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 the top ever develop? Where do suckers come from? Where does the ear grow?

Cut a cross-section of the stalk between the nodes (Fig. 69). Does it have a distinct bark? The interior consists of soft "pith" and tough woody parts. The wood is found in strands or fibers. Which is more abundant? Do the fibers have any definite arrangement? Which strands are largest? Smallest? The firm smooth rind (which cannot properly be called a bark) consists of small wood strands packed closely together. Grass stems are hollow cylinders; and the cornstalk, because of the lightness of its contents, is also practically a cylinder. Stems of this kind are admirably adapted for providing a strong support to leaves and fruit. This is in accordance with the well-known law that a hollow cylinder is much stronger than a solid cylinder of the same weight of material. Cut a thin slice of the inner soft part and hold it up to the light. Can you make out a number of tiny compartments or cells? These cells consist of a tissue called parenchyma, the tissue from which when young all the other tissues arise and differentiate (Parenchyma = parent + chyma, or tissue). The numerous walls of these cells may serve to brace the outer wall of the cylinder; but their chief function in the young stalk is to give origin to other cells. When alive they are filled with cell sap and protoplasm. Trace the woody strands through the nodes. Do they ascend vertically? Do they curve toward the rind at certain places? Compare their course with the strands shown in Fig. 70. The woody strands consist chiefly of tough fibrous cells that give rigidity