FRUIT 291 



all flowers in greater or less number. The gilly- 

 flower has six, four longer ones arranged in pairs, 

 and two shorter. 



"The double bag that surmounts the stamen is 

 called an anther. The dust contained in the anther 

 is known as pollen. It is yellow in the gillyflower, 

 lily, and most plants; ashy gray in the poppy. " 



"You have already told us," Jules interposed, 

 "how clouds of pollen, raised by the wind in the 

 ds, are the cause of supposed showers of sulphur 

 that frighten people so." 



"I take away the six stamens. There remains a 

 central body, swollen at the bottom, narrow at the 

 top, and surmounted by a kind of head wet with a 

 sticky moisture. In its entirety this central body 

 takes the name of pistil; the swelling at the bottom 

 is called" an ovary, and the sticky head that termi- 

 nates it is a stigma." 



"What big names for such little things!" ex- 

 claimed Jules. 



"Little, yes; but of unparalleled importance. 

 These little things, my dear friend, i^ive us our daily 

 bread; without the miraculous work of these little 

 1 1 1 i nxs we should die of hunger. ' ' 



"I will take care to remember their names, then." 



"I, too," chimed in Emile; "but you must go over 

 them again, they are so hard to learn." 



Uncle Paul began again. Jules and Kmile re- 

 peated after him: stamen, anther and pollen; pistil, 

 stigma and ovary. 



"With a penknife T divide the flower in two. The 

 split ovary shows us what is insid 



