34 THE MICROSCOPE. March 
This dust, which to the unassisted eye, is all alike in 
every flower, is fashioned with the most elaborate care 
and sculptured with exquisite finish. It is the fructity- 
ing principle which causes the seed to become fruitful. 
The organs of generation in flowers are stamens and pis- 
til. Stamens varying in number from two to upwards 
of twenty; and the pistil, which occupies the center of 
the flower, having from one to many styles, the upper 
part of which is called the stigma. The base of the pis- 
til, which is swollen and round is the ovary. Cut the 
ovary open with a penknife, and you will see tiny white 
cells on either side. These are the rudiments of the 
future seed. The pollen fructifies each seed whilst grow- 
ing in the ovary and the way in which it is accomplished 
can with care be traced. 
The stamens are filaments bearing on the top single or 
double caskets, called anthers, full of pollen grains. 
When the flower first opens, the anthers are closed; but 
as soon as the air and light have perfected the pistil, it 
secrets a kind of gum on the surface of its stigma. This 
is intended to hold fast the pollen-grains. The anthers 
now open and the golden dust appears, falling on the 
ready channel, which conveys it to the ovary beneath. 
The pollen grain itself is not a simple cell, but. minute as 
it is, there are many cells therein, and a subtle fluid, 
called fovilla, which is in reality the life-giving princi- 
ple to the ovule. When -the pollen-grain falls upon the 
stigma, it presently opens one of its pores, and sends 
forth a tube more or less long which descends through 
the tissues of the style, enters the ovary, reaches a tiny 
ovule, and pours into it the fovilla, which fovilla forms 
the embryo or future plant that is preserved and nour- 
ished in the seed. 
Take a little pollen from the Cucumber plant or Pas- 
sion flower, and when it is under the microscope; covered 
with a cover-glass, well lighted and focused, let a drop of 
