308 The Living Plant 



in the very early spring before the leaves have appeared, as 

 catkins for example all do, and the flowers of some Maples; 

 while that first feathery bloom shown by Elms against the 

 spring sky is caused by the wind-pollinated flowers, and not 

 by the leaves as most folks think. The same end is attained 

 in a different way in those cases where the blossoms are borne 

 out at the extreme tips of the branches, as in most kinds of 

 evergreens, while a still more notable example is found in the 

 Grasses, which raise their spikes or panicles of inconspicuous 

 greenish blossoms high over the leaves, as any meadow well 

 illustrates. And a good many other adaptations to wind pol- 

 lination are found in particular cases. But in general these 

 features, occurrence on trees in particular; light and super- 

 abundant pollen, and therefore relatively prominent male blos- 

 soms; much-branched stigmas on prominently placed though 

 rather inconspicuous female flowers; an early blossoming period 

 or an exposed blossoming position distinguish the wind-pollinated 

 plants. And to these characters may be added another, of a 

 negative though no less distinctive sort, that such flowers possess 

 hardly any of the features that we commonly associate with the 

 name, no bright colors, aside from an occasional case of the 

 early spring red, no odors, no nectar, no striking forms, no great 

 size. The reason for their absence is obvious enough, such 

 features are not needed in wind pollination. 



But wind pollination, widely used though it is, becomes almost 

 insignificant when compared with a different method which sur- 

 passes it many fold in economy, efficiency and extensiveness of use. 

 A great disadvantage of wind pollination consists in its waste- 

 fulness; for of all the great quantities of pollen cast out on the 

 winds from the anthers of plants, not more than an insignificant 

 proportion can happen to fall on receptive stigmas. One can 

 gather, indeed, a vivid idea of the wastefulness of this method from 

 the fact, which some of my readers may have seen for themselves 

 as I have, that in northern countries, where wind-pollinated 



