Daffodil and Snowdrop 328 
and closes them again at 4 pm. It may be noted 
that the Snowdrop only puts forth two leaves 
and one flower. It has been pointed out to 
me more than once as a peculiar thing, that 
the Snowdrop flowers keep their freshness 
through a long spell of inclement weather, 
but soon fade after a day or two of fine 
sunny weather. The reason’ is obvious in the 
light of what we have stated: during bad 
weather there are no bees about, but in fine 
weather fertilisation is soon effected, and after 
that the flower fades, being no longer necessary. 
When mentioning the Lesser Celandine in an early 
chapter of this work, I called attention to the im- 
portance of the bags of wealth hoarded from one 
year to the next by this bright spring flower. The 
point there insisted on at some length has also to be 
considered now we have reached what are best known 
to the general reader as bulbous plants, or more 
shortly as “bulbs.” Here again the plants are mostly 
those that flower quite early in the year, and they 
are only enabled to do so by reason of the “much 
substance” laid up during the past year. After they 
have flowered this year and set seed, the leaves will 
lengthen to an extent that is enormous compared 
with their size when the flowers appeared. They 
have set seriously to work to lay up a reserve for 
next year’s flowering. Then, when the leaves have 
attained to their highest development, their starch 
will be poured down into the cells of the bulb, which 
will increase the thickness of its layers, whilst the 
leaves vanish utterly. Then when the great revival 
to activity —the fitly-named Spring —comes, the 
Snowdrop's 
stamen 
