CROSS-POLLENIZING THE FLOWERS. 87 



ma; the middle, the style, and the bottom the 

 ovary. This ovary also is a pod and is partly hol- 

 low and contains rudimentary seeds or ovules. In 

 these are the embryo sac, which contain the female 

 element of the flower. 



There can be no fruitification unless the pollen 

 containing the sperm cell is brought in contact 

 with the germ cell at the bottom of the flower. 

 These two cells are called protoplasmic, or the 

 beginning of life. 



FIG. 1. SHOWING PISTILATE 

 STRAWBERRY FLOWER ON 

 LEFT AND STAMINATE ON 

 THE RIGHT. 



FIG. 2. BISECTED CHERRY 

 FLOWER, SHOWING ALL THE 

 ORGANS OF A PERFECT 

 BLOWER. 



Fig. i shows two flowers of strawberry, one stam- 

 inate, the other pistilate. 



Suppose we take the flower of the cherry which 

 is a good study (see Fig. 2) as all the organs are 

 very distinct. In this case there is no trouble in 

 producing this union. A gentle wind stirring the 

 branches, or the ingress of an insect and the burst- 

 ing anthers discharge their loads of golden dust 

 upon the pistils or stigma. The actual contact 

 between the two cells does not take place by the 



