SELF-FERTILISED FLOWERS 179 



in case the pollen-laden Argosies have failed to 

 come to port. 



Several of the Rose family are regularly self- 

 fertilised the hardback or steeple-bush, the wild 

 red raspberry, agrimony, and June-berry, for ex- 

 ample. 



Though the Composite family has developed a 

 clever piston arrangement for delivering its pollen, 

 and bidding for cross-fertilisation, yet the follow- 

 ing members of the family are commonly self- ferti- 

 lised and flourish amazingly upon it: The star- 

 wort, asters, common daisy, larger daisy, fleabane, 

 larger burr marigold, tall sunflower, ox-eye, 

 cone-flower, common dandelion, sow-thistle, and 

 others. 



It is easy to see that the Pulse family, in whose 

 flowers the stamens and pistils are closely packed 

 together like shipwrecked mariners in a life-boat, 

 might develop their stigmas in a mass of home- 

 made pollen, if that were not removed. This may 

 happen in the beach pea, the cow-vetch, and the 

 peas and beans of the garden. Here we see a reason 

 why our peas and beans always "come true to 

 name," and Mr. Burbank has suceeded in creating 

 new varieties only by artificially crossing their 

 pollen. 



Whitlow grass, wood-anemone, shepherd's-purse, 



