Another Cousin, The Raspberry

Summary

The story presents an exploration and comparison of three common berries: strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. It highlights the unique characteristics of each fruit, focusing on their physical structures. The strawberry is described as having a juicy, enlarged flower cushion, while the blackberry consist of seedboxes densely packed upon a swollen flower cushion, contributing to most of the fruit. In contrast, the raspberry is characterized by its detachable ripe seedboxes which remain on the plant during picking, leaving the flower cushion behind. This narrative encourages observation of natural variations among these fruits, teaching that while the biological reasons for these differences are unknown, recognizing them can enhance appreciation and understanding of the natural world. The text underscores how learning through curiosity can increase personal enjoyment and improve one's capacity to contribute positively to the lives of others.

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Here we see a branch from the raspberry bush. How is the raspberry unlike both strawberry and blackberry? Let us place side by side these three berries.

Once more we observe that the strawberry is the flat flower cushion grown big and juicy.

Again we see that the seedboxes of the blackberry packed upon the swollen flower cushion make up much of the fruit.

But in the raspberry we find that the red, ripe seedboxes alone make the berry which is so good to eat.

When we pick this raspberry, we find that the flower cushion remains upon the plant, instead of coming off in our fingers and helping to make a luscious morsel, as with the other two fruits.

I hope you will remember how these three berries differ one from another.

Why the blossoms of these three plants grow into berries in three different ways, we do not know; but our time has been well spent if we remember that they do change in these three ways.

The more we see and question and learn, the more pleasure we shall find in our own lives, and the better able we shall be to make life pleasant for others.