APPLE BLOSSOM 



131 



when the petals fall ? Look for their remains on a ripe 

 apple. 



Third, the petals, the stamens, and the stalks of the pistils 

 are borne on the upper edge of a green, urn-shaped calyx. 

 The calyx becomes the real fruit of the apple tree, and con- 

 tains seeds in its center. 



Cut a blossom in two lengthwise with a sharp knife to show 

 how its parts are arranged. To what part of the calyx are the 

 petals joined? To what part are the stamens joined? To 

 what part are the stalks of the pistils joined ? Where are the 

 beginnings of the seeds ? Look at the blossom of a strawberry 

 or blackberry and see if you can find parts similar to those on 

 an apple blossom. 



Bees. — Have you seen bees on apple blossoms ? How many 

 have you seen on a tree at once ? What were they doing ? 

 When a bee crawls over a blossom, it gets some of the pollen 

 on its hair, and rubs 

 it on the next pistil 

 that it touches. If 

 it were not for the 

 bees, we should not be 

 likely to have many 

 apples. Why ? 



AVhat flowers be- 

 sides apple blossoms 

 have you seen bees 

 visit? Look and see 

 if you think that the 

 bees help their blossoms to form their seeds. What other 

 kinds of insects have you seen visiting flowers ? 



Apples. — From an apple-flower bud there grows a fruit spur 

 which bears leaves and four or five blossoms. How long a 

 time does it take a fruit spur to reach its full size ? How old 

 is a fruit spur when it puts forth a side shoot ? 



Only one apple in a cluster usually grows ; the rest 



Apples cut to show the Cores 



