POLK 



4742 



POLLEN AND POLLINATION 



Wisconsin in 1848. Oregon was organized as a 

 territory in 1848, and in 1849 California, though 

 not then admitted to the Union, organized its 

 own government. Gold was discovered in Cali- 

 fornia in the preceding year, and the quest for 

 gold drew thousands to the newly-opened re- 

 gions. The year 1849 also saw the founding of 

 Salt Lake City by the Mormons. In 1846 

 a Howe received his patent on the sewing 

 machine, which he had perfected in the preced- 

 ing year, and in 1847 the Hoe cylinder printing 

 press was invented. Ether was first used as an 

 anesthetic in surgery in 1846. During Folk's 

 term were founded two institutions, now of 

 national importance the United States Naval 

 lemy at Annapolis in 1845, and the Smith- 

 sonian Institution at Washington, in 1846. The 

 year 1846 was also memorable for the terrible 

 famine in Ireland, as a result of which the first 

 great Irish immigration to the United States 

 began. 



Election of 1848. In accepting the nomina- 

 tion for President in 1844 Polk declared that 

 he would discharge the duties of the office 

 "with the settled purpose of not being a candi- 

 date for reelection." To this purpose he ad- 

 hered. The Democrats then nominated Lewis 

 Cass of Michigan. The Whigs chose General 

 Zachary Taylor, and the newly-organized Free- 

 Soilers nominated Martin Van Buren. Taylor 

 was elected (see TAYLOR, ZACHARY). 



At the close of his term Polk retired to Nash- 

 ville. There he died on June 15, 1849. In his 

 will, he left his estate "to the worthiest of the 

 name forever," but the courts in 1891 decided 

 that it was void because it directed a perpetu- 

 ity. Mrs. Polk (Sarah Childress, 1803-1891), 

 lived on the estate until her death. The re- 

 mains of the President and his wife were in- 

 terred within sight of the old homestead, but 

 were removed by the state of Tennessee in 1893 

 and reinterred on September 19, 1893, on Capi- 

 tol Hill, Nashville. The homestead was long 

 ago torn down, and a part of the site is occu- 

 pied by the Carnegie Public Library. W.F.Z. 



Consult Dallas' Eulogy on the Life and Char- 

 acter of the Late James K. Polk ; Diary of James 

 K. Polk during his Presidency; also standard his- 

 tories of the United States. 



POLK, LEONIDAS (1806-1864), an American 

 soldier, bishop of the Protestant Episcopal 

 Church and Confederate general during the 

 War of Secession. He was born in Raleigh, 

 N. C., and was educated at the University of 

 North Carolina and at West Point, where he was 

 graduated in 1827. He resigned from the army, 



entered the ministry and became the first Prot- 

 estant Episcopal bishop of Louisiana. While 

 serving in this capacity he was instrumental in 

 establishing Sewanee University in 1858. After 

 the outbreak of the War of Secession, Bishop 

 Polk tendered his services to the Confederate 

 government and was appointed major-general 

 by Jefferson Davis, with command of the de- 

 fense of Missouri and Tennessee. As lieuten- 

 ant-general he fought at Stone River, Belmont, 

 Shiloh, Perryville and Murfreesboro, and led a 

 corps at Chickamauga. He was temporarily 

 suspended for disobedience to orders in this last 

 battle, but was exonerated by President Davis. 

 During the early part of 1864, he had charge 

 of the Department of the Mississippi and was 

 with Johnston in Sherman's Atlanta campaign. 

 He was killed by a cannon shot on the Mari- 

 etta (Ga.) battlefield. 



POLLEN, pol'en, AND POLLINATION, pol 

 ina'shun. The tiny, golden grains of pollen 

 formed on the anther of a flower, when carried 

 to the stigma, or seed-bearing part, by insects, 

 wind or other agencies, fertilize the ovule which 



e 



POLLINATION 



(a) Stamen of moonseed, with anther cut 

 across; (b) stamen showing two anther cells di- 

 verging; (c) stamen of globe amurunth, open 

 from top to bottom, showing pollen; (d) stamen 

 of mallow; (e) stamen showing split down be- 

 tween the two cells and means by which pollen 

 escapes. 



forms the seed. The grains are minute cells 

 of various forms, smooth or covered with spines 

 or knobs, but always the same in the same 

 plant. They consist of three layers; the inner 

 one is a sticky substance and contains the fer- 

 tilizing cells. After the pollen grain is lodged 

 on the stigma, this inner layer protrudes in a 

 long, delicate tube which makes its way through 

 the style to the ovule. As soon as it is reached, 

 the ovule divides and forms an embryo which 

 ripens into a seed. 



Pollination is merely the transfer of the pol- 

 len to the stigma. Self -pollinated flowers are 

 those in which this transfer is performed by 



