THE WIND AND THE FLOWERS 169 



HOP VINE 



Staminate Flowers 



breezy day comes, when they burst out of bounds, 

 dangle at the ends of their hairlike filaments, and 

 swing and sway gaily, scattering their pollen like 

 maskers throwing confetti ; and, like conf etti s their 

 pollen floats away to their neighbours. 



Grasses bear perfect flowers but hops are monoe- 

 cious. The two sketches show branches of hop vines 

 taken from different 

 plants, and exhibiting the 

 enlarged staminate flower 

 with its umbrella - like 

 calyx and pendulous sta- 

 mens symmetrically ar- 

 ranged. In the pistillate flower we see the long, 

 shaggy pistils protruding from beneath the scales. 



When I was a boy and 

 used to help in gathering 

 the hops for our home- 

 made yeast, I imagined 

 that the bitter, yellow H0p VINB 



powder concealed between pistillate flowers 



the scales was the pollen; but I have learned that 

 I was in error. Botanists do not seem to know 

 what is the use of this powder, but brewers know 

 it is valuable in flavouring their beer. 



Our billion-dollar corn crop every season hangs 

 for a while suspended on these frail, impalpable 



