370 



MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



FERTILIZATION OF THE SQUASH. 



(The sketch ami engraving, with tliat following on"Celerj' Transplantiag,"are 

 taken from the advance sheets of a work on "Vegetable Gardening," by Prof. 

 S. B. Green, now in press.— Sec'y.) 



''Figure No. 1 shows the two kiuds of flowers found on the squash. 

 Squash flowers are practically tfie same in construction as the flow- 

 ers of the cucumber, pumpkin, melon and gourd. The piece of vine 

 in the center of the figure has attached to it a pistillate female flower 

 to the left, which has a short stem and shows clearly the young 

 squash; on the right of it is a staminate ( luale) flower, often called 

 false flower, attached to the piece of vine. On the extreme left and 



Figure 1.— Fertilization of the S<iiiash Jilossoni. 



separate is shown the pistillate flower with corolla removed, show- 

 ing the pistil, which is the part that receives the pollen. On the 

 extreme right is a staminate flower with the corolla removed, show- 

 ing the stamens in a column in the center. The purpose of this 

 flower is solely to produce pollen, and after doing this it dies. At 

 the base of the stamens will be noticed a dark spot, which leads to 

 the honey gland, in trying to reach which the honeybee becomes 

 covered with ])ollen; this is transferred to the pistil of the pistil- 

 late flower by a like process." 



