24 THE GARDEN OF EARTH 



The pistils and the stamens together carry out the 

 great task of Seed-growing. Stamens cannot do 

 this alone. Pistils cannot do it alone. They have 

 to work in company. 



Perhaps you may find it hard to believe that those 



lovely pink and white petals, and those little soft 



yellow-tipped stamens, are not only one in nature with 



the green leaves, but also are one with each other. 



This can be made more plain. The Wild Rose which 



we have examined is what we call 



" single." But now let us get two 



more Roses; not wild ones this 



time, but a half-double] Rose, and 



another that is fully-double. 



What do we mean by " single " 

 and " double " ? 

 LEAF OF ROSE WITH Lct US comparc the three. The 

 th?S?ath. *' ^"^""^ ""^ wild one has a single row of five 

 petals, and a large array of stamens. 

 The half-double one has a great many more petals, and 

 not nearly so many stamens. The fully-double one has 

 very many more petals still — it seems quite made up of 

 petals — and no stamens. They have entirely vanished. 

 Where can they have gone? And how is it that so 

 many more petals have appeared ? Simply this — ^that 

 the stamens have turned into petals. Curious, is it not ? 

 Both being in their nature leaves, they can be made by 

 careful cultivation to change from the one form of leaf 

 into the other. Stamen-leaves can become petal- 

 leaves ; and petal-leaves can change again into stamen- 

 leaves. 



