FLOWERS 7 



these fruits take the form of dry pods, is a modified ovary, whose wall has sep- 



some of which may be seen in the illus- arated into two layers, the outer of which 



tration. Such pods have various ways of forms the pulp, and the inner the "stone," 



opening to discharge their ripened seeds. the kernel within the stone being the real 



In many cases the commonly recog- seed. 



nized fruit includes more than the ovary. Whatever form or structure the fruit 

 For example, in the apple and pear the may take, everything is with reference to 

 modified ovary is represented by what is the dispersal of the seeds, which must be 

 called the "core," and the pulpy part out- carried to places suitable for their ger- 

 side, forming the edible part of the fruit, mination. How seeds are carried about 

 is the thickened calyx. In the strawberry is a long story, which must be deferred to 

 the real fruits are the small, nut-like some later time, but it belongs to the gen- 

 "pits" which are more or less imbedded in eral subject of flowers, 

 the surface, while the pulpy part is the It will be seen from the above brief ac- 

 very much enlarged and fleshy tip of the count that flowers occur in almost infinite 

 stem which bore the numerous carpels, variety, so that we are able to tell the va 

 in the pineapple the change involves a rious groups of flowering plants by the 

 whole flower cluster, and a pineapple is a kind of flowers they produce. Amidst all 

 cluster of flowers which has formed a of this infinite variety, however, there are 

 pulpy mass, flowers, leaves, stems, and but two purposes shown, the variety be- 

 all, ing merely the different ways in which 



From what has been said it will be no- different plants have carried them out. 



ticed that some fruits ripen dry, as in the These two purposes are the securing of 



case of the lily pod, bean pod, etc., and pollination, in order that seeds may be 



that others ripen fleshy, as in the case of formed, and the proper distribution of the 



apples, strawberries, etc. It must not be seeds. All structures found in flowers 



supposed that flesh can only be formed by should be made to answer these two prob- 



parts outside of the ovary, for the peach lems. 



GOD'S HANDIWORK. 



JOHN WESLEY WAITE. 



How beauteous every shade 

 On Spring's awakened trees ! 



How perfect the colors laid 

 By His most kind decrees ! 



