THE WILD CAMOMILE 



we find a very great difference in structure ; and 

 no wonder, for if we had eyes that would magnify 

 a few diameters, we should then realise that in 

 each daisy there are really several hundreds of 

 tiny flowers in \ery orderly arrangement, and 

 nearly all of them possessing the various organs 

 found in the bramble or buttercup flower. 



Now, the way out of the difficulty of under- 

 standing the camomile is to use a magnifying 

 lens, for the head of florets measures little more 

 than half an inch across even when fully ex- 

 panded, and in this space there are hundreds of 

 flowers each as perfect as a buttercup, or even 

 more so ; but on this point more later. Lest 

 you may think it too great a trouble to separate 

 the tiny flowers that make up the daisy bloom, I 

 will dissect a blossom and photograph it through 

 my magnifying lens, and so show by direct photo- 

 graph the actual thing. 



If, however, you are feeling any regret that you 

 are unable yourself to examine the actual flowers 

 because you are not accustomed to dissect such 

 small things and to use a magnifying lens, let me 

 advise you to go into your garden and cut a large 

 daisy — one about a foot in diameter. Pray do not 

 look so startled. You, doubtless, grow sunflowers, 

 or, at least, know where they are grown, and 

 sunflowers are only very large daisies. In these 

 large forms, then, the numerous flowers of each 

 head are big enough for you to examine them 

 with the unaided eye. 



In Fig. 2 (Plate 2) is shown my camomile 



