MORE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. 1 07 



central stigmas, while at the base of the blossom 

 is a large triangular ovary, containing the young 

 seeds or ovules. Usually the flowers grow in 

 little bunches of three, each bunch consisting of 

 two males and one female. 



In the pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons, 

 separate male and female flowers also exist on 

 the same plant. The females here may be easily 

 recognised by having an ovary or small unde- 

 veloped fruit at the back of the blossom, which 

 you can cut across so as to show the young seeds 

 or ovules within it. As the proper insects for fer- 

 tilising cucumbers and melons do not live in Eng- 

 land, gardeners usually impregnate the female 

 flowers by bringing pollen from the males to 

 them with a camel's-hair brush. This process is 

 commonly known as '' setting " the melons. Many 

 other garden flowers have separate male and fe- 

 male blossoms, which the beginner can easily rec- 

 ognise for himself if he takes the trouble to look 

 for them. 



In the instances we have hitherto considered, 

 the male and female blossoms live on the same 

 plant. But the best cross-fertilisation of all is 

 that which is secured where the fathers and 

 mothers belong to totally distinct plants, a plan 

 for facilitating which we have already seen in the 

 common primrose. Well, now, if any species took 

 to producing all male flowers on one plant, and 

 all females on another, this great end would be- 

 come absolutely certain, for every blossom would 

 then always be fertilised by the pollen brought 

 from a distinct plant. Many such instances have 

 accordingly been produced in the world around 

 us by natural selection. Only, the two kinds of 

 plants must always grow in one another's neigh- 



