199 
grows bigger and bigger. The outer skin becomes too 
small for the swelling contents. At last it bursts open,-: 
letting out a little tube. 
This little tube works its way down through the 
stalk of the pistil, almost as a root pushes down into 
the: earth, and at last it reaches one of the seeds in 
the seedbox below. 
And into this tiny seed the little tube pushes its way. 
Fhe tube has carried with it that speck of. won- 
derful living material which every dust grain holds. 
And when this living speck has been added to that 
which the seed already holds, a great change begins 
to come about. 
This new touch of life, added to that already present, 
gives the lily seed the power to grow into a lily plant. 
The other dust grains that were brushed upon the 
flat top of the lily’s pistil act in just the same way. 
Apparently without difficulty the different tubes find 
(their way to the different seeds, till at last ‘each one 
- -has received the fresh touch of life without which 
it cannot grow into a lily plant. 
I cannot show a lily dust grain in the act of 
a dust grain (Fig. 186) from the thorn apple. 
You see that it has burst open, and that a tube 
is pushing its way out. 
seed in the seedbox below. : A 
As I told you in the last chapter, the name “ pollen”’ 
ing its way from the dust grain above to a tiny: 
Fic. 180 
sending out its life-bearing tube; but above is 
This picture (Fig. 187) is that of a pistil seed-. 
box cut open, showing you a tube that is work-~ 
