LIFE HISTORIES OF FAMILIAR PLANTS 



No bees are seen to visit a flower-head such as 

 that shown in the final example ; indeed, as soon 

 as the stalk of each little flower bends down the 

 petals begin to lose their colour and become brown 

 and shrivelled ; nevertheless, they do not fall 

 awa}^, as petals often do, for they have yet an- 

 other function to fulfil. Within the centre of each 

 little flower is a minute pod in which will ripen 

 from one to four tiny seeds. 



For, although but few people notice them, yet 

 the clovers produce their seeds in pods, just as do 

 peas, laburnum, broom and gorse ; indeed a pea- 

 flower postulates a seed pod more or less like that 

 of the cultivated pea, or the broom. However, the 

 clovers' little pods are so well hidden, wrapped in 

 their brown and shrivelled petals, that the flower- 

 heads appear dead while they are maturing their 

 seeds ; hence we fail to observe the tiny pods. 

 Furthermore, as the seeds ripen, the pods burst 

 open and, being down-turned, the tiny seeds drop 

 from them and fall amongst the grasses, where 

 they germinate. If, when the young white clover 

 plants develop, they fi.nd themselves too crowded, 

 that difficulty is overcome by their creeping stems 

 which work their way amongst the herbage, rooting 

 here and there at intervals as they travel. 



Such, then, is the manner in which the familiar 

 white or Dutch clover conducts its life economy, 

 and how successful its working principles have 

 proved is readily testified by the fact that it 

 appears on almost all land w^here grasses will 

 grow ; and, as we have seen in the previous 



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