INTELLIGENCE OF THE CELL 245 



they are organisms they perform the functions of such 

 things ; they actually mate. 



"Plants have not always had the same manner of eat- 

 ing, drinking and sleeping, nor have they always had the 

 mating customs prevailing among them at present. Plant 

 customs and habits change as do the habits of other or- 

 ganisms. Hence their mating habits have been modified 

 through the ages. Before the mating of any pair of 

 plants occurs, there is at this stage in the evolution of 

 many among them a brief period of what must be called 

 courtship. The happy and gallant wooer adorns himself 

 gorgeously with brilliant flowers, each having powdered 

 faces, calling to his love on every breeze. He must charm 

 or there will be no response. This, of course, refers to 

 matings among the more developed plants. 



"When we speak of flowers we rarely stop to consider 

 just what the term means. It means not only the pistil, 

 which contains the undeveloped seeds or ovules; the 

 stamens with their pollen grains ; but the petals, or taken 

 together, the corolla ; and lastly the calyx all these dif- 

 ferent parts combine to form the flower. The brilliantly 

 colored petals are really used as advertisements. The red, 

 yellows, oranges, greens, purples and whites are flags 

 that signal to the bees and butterflies to come and feast 

 on the honey and thus to fill their fuzzy backs with the 

 pollen grains which will readily cling to the sticky pistil 

 of the next flower they visit. 



"One of the most brilliant displays of color is that of 

 the flame azalea. It flaunts its gaudy blossoms over the 

 mountain-sides, beckoning to the pollen-bearers 'to come 

 and taste of its honey. Its flame colored flowers are pro- 

 duced in great profusion, and massed together, their blaz- 

 ing splendor gives the impression of the woods on fire. 



