68 PROPAGATION OF PLANTS. 



Oaks, Beech, Chestnut, Walnut, and Hazel. Such plants 

 are called mgnceciQus, because each produces but one 

 kind of sexual organs. In other plants the staminate 

 and pistillate flowers are produced by sej^arate pljLiits, as 

 in the Poplars, Buffalo-Berry, Hop ancTHemp, and in 

 some of the "Maples. The flowers of such plants are said 

 to be (jicecioytS, because the two different sexual organs 

 are borne by separate individual plants. There are also 

 species of ^plants distributed among various families and 

 genera, like certain species of the Grape, Ash, Maple, 

 Olive, and many of the Palms, which bear flowers, some 

 with pistils only, others with stamens, and some with 

 both kinds of organs in the same flower. Plants with 

 these variable flowers are said to be polygamous. 



In plants like the Asters, Gaillardias, Seleniums, and 

 the common Sunflower, the, flowers are called compound, 

 being crowded together in a broad head ; the position 

 tind distribution of the sexual, organs are variable (heter- 

 ogamoHs), some containing both stamens and pistils, 

 while others have neither, and are therefore neutral or 

 abortive, as often seen in the ray florets or outside rows 

 of showy petals in such flowers. 



But it is not my purpose to attempt to describe or even 

 note the many forms and the \^riabi]itjinjthe structure 

 gf flowers, but merely to call the attention of the reader 

 to the fact that such variations not only exist, but require 

 close and careful investigatmnby persons who desire or 

 intend to become successful cultivators and propagators 

 of plants. It must be apparent to the most casual ob- 

 server that it would be perfectly useless to^ set-out one 

 specimen^f our native Buffalo Berry (SJiepherdia), ex- 

 pecting it to produce fruit, for the sexual organs are in 

 separate^la^ts, and the one bearing stamjnate flowers 

 never produces fruit under any circumstances, and the 

 plants bearing pistillate flowers will not bear, except ja 

 the presence of the staminate ; consequently, it is im- 



